Irish Ferries may consider disposing of its £29 million fast ferry, the Jonathan Swift, or chartering it out, according to industry sources, if the current dispute with SIPTU is not resolved quickly. The company is not taking bookings on the vessel for the foreseeable future.
The ship was due to commence service on the Dublin-Holyhead route last Monday but has been unable to do so because of failure to agree new working conditions for ship's officers with the union.
The company's human resource manager, Mr Brendan McCarthy, said yesterday that it was still hopeful that the dispute could be resolved. However, he accepted that a protracted dispute could cause problems, especially retaining staff, specially trained or "type rated" to operate the ferry to acceptable safety standards.
"If people were to leave and as a consequence we had to recruit new people and type-rate them, it would take six to eight weeks to train them. If that happens the tourist season is gone and that obviously has implications for the company."
SIPTU wants the company to apply the work schedule for officers on its existing ferries, the Isle of Inisfree and the Isle of Inishmore. This allows for 20 weeks on, 20 weeks off, and 12 weeks' annual leave. However the company wants to apply a new roster on the Jonathan Swift allowing for 24 weeks on, 24 weeks off, and four weeks' annual leave.
The Labour Court endorsed the changes last month but added that the company should offer generous terms to buy out the shorter working week currently enjoyed by officers transferring from other ships.
The 18 ship's officers involved have rejected the recommendation on the basis that it worsens their working conditions and could undermine conditions on other vessels over a longer period. "We are talking about an eight-weeks difference", SIPTU branch secretary Mr Brian Fitzgerald said yesterday.