The crew of a Russian ship which has mutinied in Waterford has been threatened with legal action by the vessel's owners and told its members will be blacklisted if they do not return to work.
Efforts were being made yesterday in Ireland, London, Moscow and Ukraine, where the crew is from, to resolve the dispute. The crew says it has not been paid for three months and refused to sail the Firyuza from Waterford a week ago.
Discussions to be chaired by the Labour Relations Commission failed to take place as planned yesterday as a representative of the Moscow company Olmar, which owns the ship, did not arrive.
Mr Tony Ayton of SIPTU, which was asked by the International Transport Federation to intervene on the crew's behalf, said the company had failed to get involved in any meaningful discussion.
At the ITF's request, SIPTU has instituted legal proceedings to have the vessel arrested, following a threat to the crew that it would be replaced by another group of sailors.
The company has also threatened, in a letter to the crew, to sue for damages as a result of the delay in getting the ship to its next destination in Spain.
