Madam, - In all the hot air generated over the Irish Ferries dispute, three points have been ignored.
Firstly, the 543 displaced Irish Ferries workers will instantly find new jobs in this full-employment economy, which is no doubt part of the reason 90 per cent of them have accepted Irish Ferries' redundancy payments. So there is no real suffering being incurred, albeit much inconvenience and annoyance.
Secondly, 543 central and east Europeans will obtain otherwise non-existent jobs that - compared with what is available to them back home - are well paid. This is a significant boost for people still emerging from the scourge of over four decades of socialism and we should rejoice at this opportunity.
Thirdly, unless Irish Ferries meets the competitive market by slashing its costs, in a couple of years' time it will have gone out of business and no one will have the jobs. Nor will the service exist. Where would Ryanair be without its low cost base?
By the way, those such as your correspondent Michael O'Leary (November 29th) who think the company should remove "Irish" from its name because it will no longer be subject to Irish employment law, are being ridiculous. By the same reasoning, we might as well remove the offending word from every iconic Irish pub all over the world.
No laws are being broken. It is time to move on and allow business to manage itself within applicable legislation. - Yours etc,
TONY ALLWRIGHT, Killiney, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Given the skill with which Irish Ferries managers have handled the situation so far, it is reasonable to assume that they too could be readily replaced by Latvian or Lithuanian managers, of at least comparable levels of competence, who would do the job for a small fraction of the salary. Irish Ferries shareholders deserve no less. - Yours etc,
FRANK E. BANNISTER, Morehampton Terrace, Dublin 4.