SIPTU ships' officers are being asked to vote for settlement proposals in the dispute at Irish Ferries which has kept the company's £29 million Jonathan Swift tied up for the past two weeks. The ballot concludes tomorrow at midday and, if the 85 officers vote in favour, the company hopes to have the fast ferry ready to sail from Dublin to Holyhead by 12.15 p.m. tomorrow.
Their committee decided unanimously to recommend the package at a meeting yesterday afternoon. SIPTU branch secretary Mr Brian Fitzgerald said he believed members would vote for the proposals, which protected their working conditions. The dispute centres on seven officers being transferred from conventional ferries to the Jonathan Swift. On the new ship they would be required to accept a 2.16 staffing ratio, compared with 2.6 on the older vessels. This lower ratio requires them to work an 28 extra days a year.
Under a peace deal brokered by SIPTU regional secretary Mr Jack Nash and IBEC director Mr Turlough O'Sullivan, the officers are to accept the 2.16 ratio but will be entitled to take leave at the 2.6 rate. This means they will be required to work longer hours during the peak holiday season but will be able to claw back time later in the year.
There is also a provision for the officers to be paid for leave they do not take and some of them will receive a £1,000-a-year pay rise, due to an adjustment in scales. They currently earn between £27,000 and £40,000.
The formula enables SIPTU to protect the basic working week it has for members, while giving the company the flexibility it needs on the new service between Dublin and Holyhead. Irish Ferries carries about 40 per cent of traffic on the Irish sea and resolution of the dispute will avert the threat of disruption at the busiest time of the year.
Mr O'Sullivan said yesterday he was "delighted the union committee and ships' officers concerned have agreed to recommend the proposals unanimously for acceptance. It shows that we can conduct difficult negotiations and resolve disputes without going over the brink".
Irish Ferries' human resources manager, Mr Brendan McCarthy, also welcomed the outcome of the meeting by the officers. He thanked Mr Nash, Mr O'Sullivan and Mr Fitzgerald for their efforts in resolving the dispute.