The crisis at Irish Ferries continued last night after a company decision to withdraw security personnel from its vessels in Wales failed to lead to a breakthrough.
Siptu rejected the company's call for an act of "reciprocal good will" after the security staff left the ships at the ports of Pembroke and Holyhead, which they had boarded in controversial circumstances last Thursday.
Attempts by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to establish a basis for talks were continuing, but with no sign of an end to the stalemate.
The National Implementation Body continued to monitor the situation and is likely to intervene if the LRC process breaks down.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin and Opposition TDs condemned the company's actions in a special Dáil debate last night.
But Mr Martin reiterated the Government's view that it cannot prevent the company from re-registering its vessels in Cyprus once it met certain conditions.
That would mean employees on board the ships would no longer have the protection of Irish employment laws, including the minimum wage.
Hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute were raised yesterday when the company withdrew security personnel from the Isle of Inishmore, at Pembroke, and the Ulysses, at Holyhead.
Officers have refused to sail the two ships since they were boarded six days ago by the security personnel, initially disguised as passengers.
Agency staff from eastern Europe later arrived on the two ships for what the company called "familiarisation programmes" before they replaced staff who had accepted voluntary redundancy.
Sailings of two other vessels, the Jonathan Swift and the Normandy, are also suspended while the stand-off continues.
In a letter circulated to staff, Irish Ferries chief executive Eamonn Rothwell said the initial decision to place security on the ships had been a "precautionary measure".
Its primary purpose was to ensure a safe working environment and to protect the safety, security and integrity of the vessels, their crews and passengers during the planned change process.
"In all the circumstances, and in anticipation of reciprocal good will from Siptu officers, management has decided, unilaterally, to withdraw all additional security from our two vessels today," he said.
A Siptu spokesman said last night, however, that the withdrawal of the security personnel, while agency staff remained on board the ships, had not addressed the "fundamental issues" of the dispute.
Siptu president Jack O'Connor, meanwhile, has asked the Government to investigate the circumstances in which the company deployed security on the two vessels.
In a letter yesterday to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, he said Siptu was "extremely concerned" about the use of "private, unidentified, security personnel".
The executive council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions decided yesterday to hold a national day of protest on Friday of next week, December 9th, "in solidarity with Irish Ferries' workers and to highlight the issues of job displacement, exploitation and employment standards".
Ictu general secretary David Begg said it did not accept Government claims that it was "powerless to do anything about this issue".
