(above: the wreck on the Aran Island of Inis Oirr, hopefully a view of the future for Irish Ferries)
Earlier this year I described in a post to this blog how Irish Ferries had nearly ruined a weekend of mine by booking me a ticket on a ferry that was not running at the time of the booking or the time of the sailing, it was then I decided to stop using their services. Now some news has come to light that has made me reconsider my position and forces me to ask you to boycott the company.
Well, not so long ago Irish Ferries were brought up in the Irish Labour courts for paying a Polish Immigrant to Ireland a paltry one euro an hour for her services as a beautician on one of their ships. The Irish workers received minimal wage and far more holidays than their Polish co-workers who had to work twelve hour shifts day in day out for three months at a time.
The Polish worker in question got several thousand euros in compensation from the company after the labour court ruling, and the company itself got a severe black eye, which a Human Resources manager in the company described on last nights "Prime Time" current affairs program on RTE (the national broadcaster) as a Public Relations disaster, though not, I noted a humanitarian one.
You would think that after being hauled through the coals in the press for that piece of institutionalised racism and worker exploitation the company would improve its performance, if only to improve its image, and please the shareholders, which in this day of rampant robber baron capitalism seem to be the only things that matter to these soulless corporate bastards, but no, not a bit of it.
It seems that the company has decided to re-register its ferry the "Normandy" in the Bahamas so as to avoid having to pay minimum wage to its immigrant employees or comply with any and all of the indiginous Irish employment laws that prevent exploitation of workers. This is a brazen act of disdain for anyone woman or man, old or young who is not a shareholder. This will not stand.
In addition to that, Irish Ferries are still receiving the tax break that comes from having ships registered in Ireland.
If you are considering using Irish Ferries for any purpose whatsoever, on any of their lines whatsoever I urge you to boycott this unscrupulous and exploitative company, it is the only humane thing to do.
Irish Ferries exploit their workers, and by doing so encourage other companies to do the same, this will not stand so again I ask you to Boycott Irish Ferries.
Peace and Hope
FatherCrow.
