Talks aim to resolve dispute at Irish Ferries

SIPTU and Irish Ferries are expected to engage in conciliation talks in Dublin today after an ongoing dispute left 800 passengers stranded at sea for up to eight hours yesterday.

The dispute, which has already seen the Irish Ferries fleet grounded earlier this year, centres around union concerns that management is intent on replacing Irish crews with cheaper foreign crews.

Yesterday’s incident emerged after the captain of the MV Normandy could not dock in Cherbourg after Irish, British and French union representatives launched a protest in the French port.

The standoff left 800 passengers, 250 cars and four freight trucks stranded at sea until after 6.30 last night having sailed from Rosslare on Sunday afternoon. The ship was scheduled to dock at 10.30am yesterday.

Irish Ferries’ director of human resources Alf McGrath said SIPTU had supported its French colleagues in an unannounced protest by up to 70 staff which led to port authorities refusing permission for the MV Normandy to dock.

“What we have here is an unannounced, unadvised interruption of the journeys of passengers, some of whom are en route to Lourdes with medical conditions and this is totally and absolutely done at the behest of Internal Transport Federation (ITF), SIPTU and the French unions,” he said. However, speaking from Cherbourg, ITF spokesman Tony Ayton denied protesters had blocked the ship’s landing berth.

“There was no blockade of the ramp. This was never intended to be a blockade. It wasn’t because of what we were doing that was the reason for Irish Ferries to keep the ship out,” he said.

SIPTU’s Paul Smyth, who was on board the MV Normandy also said the ship could have docked.

Following receipt of a letter yesterday evening from Irish Ferries management, SIPTU representatives are expected to agree to renewed talks over concerns that Irish jobs will be replaced by cheaper labour from elsewhere.

Unions allege that Eastern European crews on the MV Normandy are paid just €3.57 an hour and are concerned that Irish crews on other Irish Ferries vessels will soon be replaced.

However, Irish Ferries maintains that all staff on the MV Normandy are being paid above the international standard.