Irish Ferries threaten further lay-offs

THE bitter dispute between SIPTU and Irish Ferries looks set to intensify dramatically today as another union prepares to enter the fray and the company threatens further lay-offs.

The dispute, which centres on the decision to contract out jobs on the MV Normandy to foreign crews, escalated on Monday when Irish Ferries instructed staff on two other ships not to take on any passengers or freight.

All services were suspended yesterday, leaving passengers to find alternative means of travel. The Irish Road Haulage Association said 96 trucks were so far facing costly delays as they waited on standby for other sailings.

As SIPTU workers began picketing the company yesterday in Dublin, management reacted by laying off 120 staff, many of whom are members of the Seamen's Union which was not involved in SIPTU's dispute.

The Seamen's Union is now considering joining in industrial action a move which would significantly escalate the increasingly polarised dispute.

General secretary Bob Carrick indicated the union's 400 members may now also take action in tandem with SIPTU.

"What makes this so hard is that we hadn't balloted for industrial action. They are not a nice crowd to work for.

"We consider this as a lockout and we may take some form of action now. We are consulting with legal teams at present," he said.

However, management at Irish Ferries last night said such a move would make more lay-offs inevitable.

Asked whether any more of the company's 1,200 staff would be laid off, a company spokesman said: "I would say that would be inevitable. They are putting at risk the livelihood of other employees within Irish Ferries."

However, the spokesman indicated that management may still be prepared to enter talks.

"We would find it very difficult to do that. I'm not saying that we wouldn't do it. But we would find it difficult to do that. Irish Ferries would not walk away from any invitation to meet with any of the dispute reconciliation agencies," he said.

SIPTU official Paul Smyth said the union had, and would again, sit down with management to discuss costs and other issues. However, Mr Smyth accused management of seeking to introduce low cost crews across the board in place of Irish jobs.

"Our position is we can't allow, under any circumstances, low cost crews to be employed over Irish seafarers. In effect what is happening is seafarers are fighting for their livelihoods and their future and I make no excuse for that."

Although SIPTU called for Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Pat Gallagher, to intervene, a spokesperson for the department said the minister had attempted to facilitate talks last week and would not be doing so again.

"The matter is now one for the State's labour relations machinery," the spokesperson said.