Irish Ferries has started laying off staff as an all-out strike by Siptu members resulted in the cancellation of services to Britain and France.
Hundreds of intending passengers have been forced to make alternative travel arrangements again today as Siptu staff began an all-out strike over plans to outsource jobs on the company's route to France.
A spokesman for the company confirmed some staff members had been laid off as a consequence of the strike. He could not, however, say whether these staff members had previously been placed on protective notice.
The spokesman said these were "temporary lay-offs" brought about by the strike. He expected the staff members would be re-employed if the strike was called off.
Siptu, meanwhile, condemned the decision by Irish Ferries to "lock out" the seafarers, leaving passengers, cargo and crews stranded in Britain yesterday.
The company cancelled services on its Dublin-to-Holyhead and Rosslare-to-Pembroke routes yesterday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in advance of today's strike.
Irish Ferries said the routes were cancelled yesterday as a "direct result" of what it said was industrial action taken by ships' officers nearly 16 hours ahead of today's planned strike action.
The company said it "deeply regrets" this action. It accused the officers of putting at risk the livelihoods of their fellow seafarers and their 1,200 colleagues, and of undermining customer confidence in the company.
Mr Paul Smyth, Siptu branch secretary, accused the company of cancelling its Holyhead and Pembroke services yesterday in a "premeditated act" without any concern for passengers or freight customers.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Smyth said the company took the action to "provoke and intimidate" officers on board the ships.
He said crews and officers opposed outsourcing was because they believed that all jobs on other routes would eventually be outsourced, leading to the demise of the Irish seafaring tradition.
Mr Alf McGrath of Irish Ferries said the company was prepared to give assurances "of a mutual nature" that the company would continue to operate with direct employment. Outsourcing on other routes was "not in contemplation", he said.
Mr Smyth said Siptu would call off the strike if the company withdrew the plans to outsource.
In a statement this afternoon, Mr Smyth called on the Minister of State at the Department of the Marine, Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher, to demand that Irish Ferries explain its actions.
"We have repeatedly told management that we are prepared to meet them and Government officials to address the issue of costs, without having to outsource the crew of the MV Normandy.
"We are also repeating our call to the Labour Relations Commission to request that management lift the lock-out and engage with the Union — without precondition — in an effort to reach agreement on the cost issues."
Irish Ferries insists the decision to contract out jobs on the Ireland-to-France service on the MV Normandywas one forced upon it to restore competitiveness.
The company said it had paid out in excess of €8 million to the Ireland/France crew members who opted to accept the "exceedingly generous" voluntary severance package offered.
The 25 or so crew members who chose to remain had been offered positions on Irish Sea services, and some had already transferred.