Deal reached as Irish Ferries resumes sailings
Irish ferries will embark on a confidence-building exercise with its customers after finally settling its bitter dispute with staff.
Services between Dublin and Holyhead resumed this afternoon with sailings between Rosslare and Cherbourg and Pembroke due to begin tomorrow.
It followed an agreement reached in the early hours of this morning with union representatives.
In a statement, Irish Ferries said it believed the outcome “will enable the company to compete in the future.”
Chief executive Eamonn Rothwell said: “We are now committed to restoring full services as quickly as possible and to winning back the confidence of our passengers and freight clients.”
Staff have been protesting for the past three weeks over plans to replace them with cheaper labour from eastern European.
But under the agreement, Irish Ferries has reportedly agreed to protect the terms and conditions of workers who wish to remain with the company rather than take redundancy and pay all workers the minimum wage.
The dispute is said to have cost the company £7.4 million.
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel