Irish Ferries & Bertie 'lets do nothing in the public sector' Ahern

The 60% subsidy referred to is only available on the statutory payment (two weeks per year of service, capped at €600 per week.). This is why employers' PRSI exists. Irish Ferries are offering six weeks pay on top-of that. All Bertie is doing is taking about a week's pay away from people who are losing their jobs anyway.

Are these "redundancies" within the meaning of the rebate scheme? I don't know. The reflagging means that the legal location of the work is changing. Irish Ferries could argue that this is legally equivalent to a factory relocating from Ireland making their Irish workers redundant. Yes, this is legal sleight of hand. It might not even pass muster, except that redundancies made on the French route under a similar arrangement were accepted as such by the Dept. for rebate and tax relief purposes.

Finally, Irish Ferries is not cash rich. Irish Continental Group Plc's other subsidaries are subsidising it.

The arguments and explanations Mugsgame made are quiet reasonable, but taking the sample of French marine arrengements should also show the results of these . As seen in the past week.I certainly would not like to see the Irish army highjacking ferrys and arresting sailors . And turning the economy into a roulette table. If we want a good country with a dedicated marine transport system ( and sailors not forced by hunger to work ) than we have to pay the price . Sack the management ! The age of the galleys is gone -and no way back. Allowing those who are more than wealthy to keep us - the islanders- at ransack in the name of mamon is pervert .
Europe is not a workhouse.

Too true Heinbloed - what with millions upon millions on the dole all across the continent, Europe is most certainly NOT a workhouse!! Fortunately for our future (and our pensions) the eastern EU countries have known grinding poverty and state control of their economies, and are only too happy to work hard and yes, undercut the competition if needs be. Wasn't so long ago we were doing exactly the same thing.

Why should the likes of Irish Ferries be penalised by being forbidden from replacing expensive, union riddled workers with low-cost, enterprising workers from another EU state, when for instance a shoe factory in Donegal can quite easily shut down and move to Asia?

Workers love the EU when it gives them things like workplace laws, health care entitlements, takeover protection etc., but when they see the other side of the common market, i.e. free movement of capital and labour, they don't like it.

Of course if any Irish Person really really wants to work for these companies, they as EU citizens have the right to move to some of the Eastern Europe countries that have recently joined.

-Rd