Government 'powerless' to prevent ferry re-registration

The Irish government has admitted that it is powerless to reject an application by Irish Ferries to re-register its ships outside Ireland.

Marine Minister Pat Gallagher was responding to demands from opposition parties to block the move, which would see Irish Ferries move to a "flag of convenience" in a bid to circumvent Irish labour legislation and replace staff with cheaper overseas workers.

The Irish parliament, the Dail, held a special debate on the Irish Ferries crisis, which threatens to undermine the Irish government's "social partnership" with the unions.

Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon it was reported that Irish Ferries had removed additional security personnel from its four ships stranded in the dispute. But SIPTU, the main union involved in the dispute, rejected the conciliatory move as a stunt and renewed its calls for government intervention in the dispute.

The executive of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which met yesterday to discuss further action over the dispute, announced that a protest march on the Dail in Dublin would be organised on Friday December 9.

The dispute broke out when the company announced that it wished to cut operating costs and draft in cheaper labour from Europe. Ireland has the second highest minimum wage in the EU. However, SIPTU opposed the lay off plan which would have affected over 540 of its members.

All four of the Irish Ferries vessels are now immobilised in port since the dispute flared up over the weekend.

Hauliers groups say the dispute will cost millions of euros each day.

(SP/KMcA)