Island ferry crew on one-day strike over proposed pay cuts

By Eoin English

Thursday, June 04, 2009

PICKETS will be placed today on a state-subsidised ferry that serves the country’s
most southerly inhabited island.

SIPTU will mount the day-long strike at Baltimore in west Cork in protest at pay cuts
affecting the four crew of the Naomh Ciarán II, which plies the route between the
mainland and Cape Clear, 13 kilometres off the south-west coast.

SIPTU, which represents the vessel’s four crew, said the strike is over pay cuts
ranging from 22% for deckhands to 27% for the ship’s master.

The company also expects the employees to work four extra weeks between May and
September, for no pay, SIPTU claims.

The ferry is owned and operated by Ciarán O’Driscoll, who won the five-year
€1,239,438 state tender in 2007 to operate the year-round service from March 2007 to
2012.

He has blamed the pay cuts on financial pressures, caused in part by a rival ferry
operating on the same route.

On Monday, he said he was forced to temporarily lay off the vessel’s skipper for a
month.

But SIPTU accused Mr O’Driscoll of escalating the situation last night by laying off
the skipper.

SIPTU branch organiser Eddie Mullins said: "The action by the company is both
malicious and indicative of its overall approach to the dispute. We remain available
for talks but have no option at this stage but to press ahead with our action."

Mr O’Driscoll, who criticised the rival service earlier this week, vowed to operate the
ferry himself today, alongside his wife Máire and son Aidan, whom he said are fully
licensed to do so.

The island’s co-op, Comharchumann Chléire Teoranta, has said that it neither
operates independently nor funds the operation of the rival ferry.

The company that operates that service, and was accused by Mr O’Driscoll of
"cherry-picking summer routes", issued a statement yesterday .
Seamus O’Driscoll, secretary of the Cailín Óir Ferry and Cruise Service, said this
service is funded by several shareholders in Baltimore and Cape Clear which does not
receive money from the Cape Clear Co-Op.

"These shareholders/operators include small businesses on the island, former crew of

the year round service and others.

"Equally, the co-op has no hand, act or part in the operation or management of the
service.

"We also reject the allegation that this company is engaged in ‘cherry picking of
summer routes’," he added.

He said the company was established to provide an alternative service and to retain as
many of the former crew of the Naomh Ciarán II as possible with a view to tendering
for the year-round contract at a later date.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, June 04,
2009