WORKERS at Irish Ferries are to march to the Dail today to protest at plans by the company to discontinue its winter sailings service on the Rosslare to France route. Up to 180 jobs will be affected if the plan is implemented.
At 9 a.m. yesterday workers representatives met the five Wexford TDs, including three Ministers, to discuss the issue. Present were the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, the Minister of State at the Taoiseach's Department, Ms Avril Doyle, and Fianna Fail TDs Mr Hugh Byrne and Mr John Browne, who also met company representatives later in the morning.
The workers' representatives also had talks yesterday with the Minister of State for the Marine Mr Eamon Gilmore, and the Fianna Fail spokesman on Transport, Mr Seamus Brennan, at separate meetings.
An Irish Ferries spokesman said yesterday it was "just not viable" for the company to continue with winter sailings on the Rosslare route. Each crossing cost £60,000 to operate, while the average number of passengers per winter sailing last year was 175. The company had lost £10 million over the past four years, while costs had risen by 10 per cent.
The Irish Ferries Workers' Action Group, however, said that the company's figures were totally wrong. The routes officer section committee of SIPTU is to hold a general meeting on the issue on October 25th.
