Irish Ferries ruling - A victory for common sense

The Labour Court ruled yesterday against a plan by Irish Ferries to replace almost 550 of its Irish staff with cheap labour, mainly from eastern Europe.

The company, which contended that it needed to introduce the cuts in order to remain competitive, had planned to introduce new workers at €3.50 an hour, which was less than half the Irish minimum wage.

Since the workers enjoyed full board and accommodation, as well as “favourable income tax treatment,” the company contended the new workers would be better off than people working for the minimum wage in Ireland.