The danger of serious disruption to Irish Ferries services increased yesterday when the company told SIPTU will would cancel the Jonathan Swift "fast ferry" schedule unless new work practices were accepted by July 2nd, writes Padraig Yeates. The company carries about 40 per cent of passengers on the Irish Sea.
It has suspended bookings for the "fast ferry" but is still accepting them for its two conventional ferries and for freight services. SIPTU has served strike notice for July 3rd if the company attempts to press the Jonathan Swift into service without agreement, or penalises officers for refusing to operate the vessel.
The dispute centres on a requirement by the company that 18 officers on the Jonathan Swift agree to work 168 weeks a year instead of 140, which is the norm on the company's conventional ferries. Last month the Labour Court recommended that the officers, seven of whom transferred from the conventional ferries, should accept the new work pattern. While the court acknowledged that this represented a major change, for which the seven officers should be compensated by "a generous once-off lump sum", it accepted that the change was necessary for the company to be competitive with other fast-ferry operators.