Management at Irish Ferries has said no progress was made at the Labour Relations Commission today over the industrial dispute at the company.
SIPTU earlier left the LRC saying that it offered €2.5m in cost savings which the company would not accept. Discussions have now broken down.
Irish Ferries says the savings offered by SIPTU only amounted to €2.4m.
It added that by outsourcing employment it can achieve savings of up to €5m.
Industry experts say that up to 100,000 people could be affected if the dispute continues into the Christmas travel season.
Meanwhile, the worldwide trade union representing seafarers, the International Transport Federation, has sent inspectors to meet the crews of the two Irish Ferries vessels tied up in Wales.
The union has also called on the Government to ensure that good quality seafaring employment is maintained on Irish-owned ships.
