Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for the reply giving a general outline of the situation as it stands but my question concerns what he intends to do to address the problem at Irish Ferries to ensure that no worker on board ferry services operating out of Irish ports is subjected to the exploitative working conditions proposed by that company. Everybody knows what the company is doing and nearly everybody agrees that it should not be allowed to get away with it.

Does the Minister of State agree that what is needed is a European ferries directive to deal with passenger and ferry services operating within the Community and subjecting workers to pay and conditions below the minimum standards throughout the EU? Has the Minister contacted the EU Commission in respect of raising such a prospect to deal with what Irish Ferries propose in this case? We know what will happen if the company gets away with it.

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