Ferry strike plan ruled unlawful

Unions plan to appeal court ban on the strike

A proposed strike by ferry staff on Seacat sailings between Belfast and Heysham and Troon on Thursday has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.

Seacat, which brought the action along with a passenger booked to travel, said it was pleased with he decision.

It said the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association union (TSSA), which called for the strike, was attempting to disrupt the plans of the travelling public.

The judge, however, granted the union leave to appeal. The TSSA hopes it will be heard on Friday.

Members of the union had planned to start indefinite strike action from Thursday over working conditions.

'Well-grounded grievances'

The action was planned after talks between Seacat management and union representatives at the Labour Relations Agency broke down on Tuesday.

Deputy General Secretary of the TSSA John Allen said that if, as he expected, the union won the appeal and gained the right to strike, industrial action would go ahead.

He said the members did not want to strike, but wanted to see their "very real and well-grounded grievances addressed".

These included "inadequate rest breaks, excessive hours and inadequate annual leave entitlement as well as job security issues", Mr Allen said.

A subsidiary of Sea Containers, Seacat launched the Troon service in April last year.

The company then abandoned its Stranrear to Belfast link in March this year, citing the success of the new route as the reason for consolidating its Irish Sea operations in Troon.

Earlier this year another subsidiary of Sea Containers, the Argyll and Antrim Steam Packet company, announced it was withdrawing from the loss-making Campbeltown to Ballycastle route.