Irish Ferries management, SIPTU and the Seamen's Union of Ireland have been meeting at the Labour Relations Commission to discuss proposals to get talks underway on a cost-cutting package at the company.
The proposals were hammered out in contacts between ICTU and the two unions involved.
Yesterday, Irish Ferries laid off 450 staff without pay, and has suspended services on three of its four ferries.
If the parties agree to enter talks on the €3.4 million cost savings required by the company, the unions will insist that staff be reinstated on the payroll.
However, management warned yesterday that the situation is now so serious that it will not lift the layoffs until there has been progress in any such negotiations.
If staff are not reinstated, there is a strong possibility of industrial action, not just by the Seamen's Union of Ireland, but also by SIPTU, which up to now has been prepared to negotiate with the company.
