Irish Ferries and Siptu held separate exploratory discussions at the Labour Relations Commission today in an effort to resolve the dispute at the company.
The National Implementation Body, the State's partnership watchdog, is also monitoring the dispute and is expected to become involved if the LRC initiative fails.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
Earlier Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was "very glad" that the parties were in talks and added that he felt far more difficult issues had been resolved through social partnership than the current dispute.
"Obviously I'm very glad that they are going to the Labour Relations Commission. I had stated that this is what people should do and I am glad that they are doing it," the Taoiseach said.
"If we just followed the institutions of the state in this, it would just save everybody a lot of time and a lot of trouble."
"Everybody knows about the competitive difficulties. Everybody knows about the problems, but there is a way of resolving these.
"We have resolved, I would say, far more difficult issues under social partnership, far more difficult issues in the past few years and if people just follow the proper processes and engaged in dialogue, then we wouldn't have these issues," he said.
The dispute came to a head last night when port workers refused to allow the MV Normandy vessel to dock in Rosslare, Co Wexford.
It was forced to make its way to Dublin were it was eventually allowed to land. The 113 passengers on board had spent more than 24 hours on board.
The leader of the Labour Party Pat Rabbitte called on the Taoiseach to use his attendance at the EU-Med summit in Barcelona to raise the issue at EU level.
General secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union in Britain, Bob Jones, tonight condemned what he calls the "bully-boy tactics" employed by the company.
Mr Jones pledged support to Siptu in the dispute and called on the UK Marine and Coastguard Agency to investigate the company's handling of the dispute on the Isle of Inishmoreat Pembroke and Ulyssesat Holyhead.
Mr Crow said the company's use security guards to raid its own vessels and its continued denial of crew access to International Transport Workers' Federation inspectors was "not only highly dangerous but almost certainly in breach of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code".
Private sector trade union leaders are to meet this evening to review the Irish Ferries dispute and discuss strategy in the post-Sustaining Progress scenario that is now emerging.
The unions are all affiliated to the Private Sector Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and include AMICUS, the ATGWU, BATU, CWU, IBOA, IMPACT, Mandate, the NUJ, Siptu and the TEEU.
The secretary of the Private Sector Committee, Eamon Devoy said today that, "the current disgraceful behaviour of Irish Ferries management emphasises just how central these issues have become for unions, particularly those in the private sector."
Siptu had also called for a national protest this Friday, but it is understood the Congress executive is more likely to organise the action on Thursday, December 8th, when schools will be closed.
Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party said "there is a widespread and deeply felt anger among working people in this State over what Irish Ferries is doing. A national stoppage would harness this feeling into a powerful movement to protect all workers from exploitation."