Irish Ferries and the Siptu trade union have agreed to attend exploratory talks today amid fears of a further escalation of their dispute over company plans to replace Irish crews with cheaper foreign workers.
The move comes following yesterday's diversion of an Irish Ferries vessel from Rosslare to Dublin when harbour workers in Co Wexford refused to allow the ship to dock at its original destination.
The MV Normandy docked in Dublin Port shortly before 11pm last night - almost 24 hours after leaving Cherbourg, France, with more than 100 passengers on board.
A Siptu spokesman said it had lifted its threat to block the ship from docking at Dublin Port on "humanitarian grounds".
Earlier, Siptu workers in Rosslare refused to allow the vessel into the Co Wexford port despite claims from Irish Ferries that a crew member had been injured on board.
The Normandy had departed from Cherbourg more than eight hours after Irish Ferries had been informed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), operators of Rosslare Port, that the vessel would not be allowed to dock there. An Irish Ferries spokesman rejected suggestions that passengers had been used as "hostages" in the dispute.
Meanwhile, the Labour Relations Commission has confirmed that it has invited Irish Ferries and Siptu to attend exploratory discussions today. The company is due to attend in the morning, and the trade union in the afternoon.
The National Implementation Body, the State's partnership watchdog, is also monitoring the dispute and is expected to become involved if the LRC initiative fails.
In a separate development, the executive council of the trade union umbrella group Congress is meeting tomorrow to discuss plans for a national day of protest over plans by Irish Ferries to outsource jobs.
Siptu had called for a national protest this Friday, but it is understood the Congress executive is more likely to organise the action on Thursday, December 8th, when schools will be closed.
While Irish Ferries had managed to sail the Normandy this weekend, the company's three other ships remain moored in Dublin and Wales amid threats of further protests from crew.
Four officers on the Isle of Inishmore, moored in Pembroke, remain barricaded in the ship's control room.
The stand-off with management at the Welsh port escalated for a time yesterday when the officers sealed off the access bridge for several hours, preventing replacement crew from coming on board.
Siptu says the blockade was lifted when management assured the protesters that they would not bring on board replacement officers. However, Irish Ferries has denied knowledge of the incident.
Alf McGrath, head of human resources at Irish Ferries, said he did not anticipate a service on the Isle of Inishmore today. Bookings have also been suspended for the Ulysses, which is similarly stranded in Holyhead, and on the Jonathan Swift, moored in Dublin Port.
Don Hall, head of media relations at the company, defended its decision to sail the Normandy on Saturday night despite having been told by Iarnród Éireann that it would not be able to dock in Rosslare.
Mr Hall said there was "no impediment to the safe operation of the service" and as a result Irish Ferries had asked Iarnród Éireann to fulfil its contractual obligations and allow the vessel into the port.
An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said: "We would like to be able to facilitate our consumer but we made it clear before they set sail what the situation was. We are unhappy the situation has developed in this way."
Iarnród Éireann is to hold separate talks with Siptu at the LRC tomorrow over the union's decision to refuse to deal with the Irish Ferries vessel at Rosslare.
In a related development, private-sector trade union leaders are meeting today to discuss the dispute and whether it should preclude them from getting involved in talks on a new national pay agreement.