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2005

Justice for Seafarers: Protest March and Demonstration to Dáil Éireann

Date Released: 02 Nov 2005

Protest March and Demonstration to Dáil Éireann

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Rally Starts at Liberty Hall at 1.30pm

In September, Irish Ferries management announced its intention to replace all its seafarers with foreign agency workers on vastly reduced rates of pay of around €3 an hour - substantially below Ireland's legal minimum wage of €7.65 for an adult worker.

Irish Ferries is not in financial difficulty - the Irish Continental Group - which includes Irish Ferries - reported operating profits of €14.6m last year - and that was after spending 12 on restructuring costs on its French routes.

Management offered a 'voluntary' redundancy package. The offer was for a limited time only - 'take it now or lose it forever'. Since the proposals sound more like constructive dismissal than voluntary redundancy, many workers feel that they are being bullied out of their jobs.

There has been public outrage at the proposal - even the Taoiseach said "The Government believes - in an Irish labour context - the action Irish Ferries took was sharp practice and totally unacceptable." So why is it being allowed to happen?

Seafarers in Irish Ferries deserve to be treated justly and that means they should have the same level of protection as every other worker in this country. There is no justification for any company paying wages of €3.50 an hour.

The Government should act now by introducing legislation to protect workers on all ferries operating in Irish waters.





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