Iarnród Éireann has been threatened with a court injunction by Irish Ferries unless its vessel, the MV Normandy, is immediately allowed to resume docking at Rosslare port. Chris Dooley and Ali Bracken report.
Sailings of the Normandy have been suspended since the weekend before last, when Siptu members employed at the port refused to handle the ship.
They said they were acting in solidarity with seafaring colleagues in dispute with the company over its plan to outsource crews on its three Irish Sea vessels.
The Normandy, which sails between Rosslare and Cherbourg under the flag of the Bahamas, already has an outsourced crew.
It was forced to divert to Dublin on Sunday week last, November 27th, when staff at Rosslare refused to allow it to dock there. The port at Rosslare is operated by Iarnród Éireann.
A spokesman for the rail company confirmed last night that legal correspondence had been exchanged between it and Irish Ferries over the past two days.
An injunction had been threatened by Irish Ferries unless handling facilities for the Normandy were resumed at the port with immediate effect.
The spokesman said Iarnród Éireann did not accept the ferry company's contention that it was in breach of its contractual obligations in failing to facilitate the Normandy.
"We are unhappy that we are unable to facilitate them but we had a responsibility to inform them that we could not provide a service for reasons of health and safety," he said.
Iarnród Éireann had no dispute with Irish Ferries, he added, but had no choice but to act as it did given the action by Siptu members.
"We have been to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) with Siptu about this but there has been no resolution," he added. A spokesman for Irish Ferries declined to comment.
Talks between Siptu and the company were continuing last night at the LRC.
Siptu seafarers have balloted to strike from today over the plan, which involves replacing up to 543 unionised seafarers with migrant workers on wages of €3.60 an hour.
Officers have refused to sail the three Irish Sea vessels since the company began implementation of the plan a fortnight ago.
A deadline of yesterday had been set by the National Implementation Body for the talks at the LRC, but progress was understood to be slow.
Thousands of workers are expected to march in cities and towns around the State tomorrow as part of a "national day of protest" called by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Unions in the ESB yesterday called for a "maximum turnout" by members in support of the rallies. They said local arrangements would be made to ensure sufficient staff were available to guarantee the safe running of generating stations and the provision of emergency services.