Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Last week I met the management of Irish Ferries and representatives of SIPTU and the ICTU to convey to them the Government's concerns as to the gravity of the situation and the wider implications of the ongoing dispute. I urged all sides to engage in the Labour Relations Commission process with a view to achieving a resolution to the issues in dispute.

On 4 December 2005 the national implementation body made a series of recommendations to the social partners and the Government regarding the maintenance and protection of employment standards in the labour market. The national implementation body also made the following recommendations in respect of the dispute at Irish Ferries. Irish Ferries should suspend its application to re-register its vessels on the register of Cyprus. The efforts to arrive at an agreement on the terms and conditions of employees who wish to remain in the employment of Irish Ferries should continue and be brought to a conclusion not later than 7 December. The terms and conditions of employees who are recruited to work on these Irish Ferries vessels in future should reflect, inter alia, Irish minimum wage arrangements in the context of the unique nature of the contracts of employment which typically operate in the maritime sector and the competitive pressures faced by the company. In the event that the outcome of this process is that these vessels are not maintained on the Irish register, the terms of any agreement with regard to existing employees and the standards which would apply to employees recruited to work on these Irish Ferries vessels in future should be reflected in an agreement of binding character which would not be vitiated by any subsequent change in the country of registration. The NIB urged the parties, without prejudice to their respective positions, to engage fully with the Labour Relations Commission over the period ending on 7 December with a view to finalising an agreement.

The situation at Irish Ferries has been addressed by all the industrial relations bodies. It is significant that the interested parties are in negotiations facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission. I welcome this development. The work already undertaken by and with the national implementation body, the Labour Court and the Labour Relations Commission provides a firm basis for resolution. I hope the parties in this process succeed in resolving this dispute quickly and without further disruption to ferry services.

Overall, industrial relations in Ireland are still quite stable. During the first half of this year 1,463 days were lost to industrial disputes, involving just six disputes. In 2004, a total of 20,784 days were lost to industrial disputes, involving 11 disputes during the year — the smallest number of disputes and days lost to strikes in a single year since records began. This downward trend in disputes has resulted in a very stable industrial relations climate.

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