Ships officers at Irish Ferries have begun a strike ballot in an intensifying row over the outsourcing of crew on the company's Rosslare to Cherbourg service.
A union-management meeting scheduled for today was cancelled by Siptu after the company refused to confirm it would implement a Labour Court recommendation aimed at resolving the row. The court recommended that Irish Ferries should go ahead with its plan to outsource ratings, who make up 90 per cent of on- board personnel, on the continental route.
However, it also said the company should continue to directly employ officers on the vessel concerned, the MV Normandy. Siptu, which represents officers on the route, has accepted the recommendation.
Irish Ferries sought clarification from the court, pointing out that it could not "continue" to employ officers, as it currently had no employees on the route.
The Rosslare-Cherbourg service is due to resume this week with a fully outsourced crew after a winter break.
The court replied to the company late last week that when it issued its recommendation, it was aware that the company currently had no direct employees on the route.
Siptu branch secretary Paul Smyth said yesterday the union was prepared to meet management once it confirmed that it was accepting the recommendation.
In the absence of that confirmation, a ballot for industrial action affecting all of the company's services would continue this week. If officers ballot in favour of action, two weeks' notice of strike would be served.
The Seamen's Union of Ireland, which represents ratings on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route, has yet to decide whether to accept the court's recommendation.
An Irish Ferries spokesman said the company was not yet in a position to accept or reject the recommendation, as it was awaiting the Seamen's Union's decision. It also wanted to meet the unions to seek a "common understanding of all the terms of the Labour Court recommendation".
The outsourcing dispute led to a 10-day strike by Siptu ships' officers at the company in December.