A woman hired to work on an Irish Ferries ship for just over €1 an hour is to return home to the Philippines after receiving financial compensation of €25,000.
Salvacion Orge last night disembarked from the MV Isle of Inishmore at Rosslare, after reaching an agreement with the company through her union, Siptu.
The union had taken Ms Orge into its membership last week after it emerged she had been employed as a beautician on the ship on a wage of €355 a month.
Her contract stipulated that she was to work 12 hours a day and get three days off a month, in contrast to other seafaring staff who work on alternate weeks.
Management at the company's headquarters in Dublin said it had been unaware of the nature of Ms Orge's contract when she was recruited through an international agency, CF Sharp Crew Management.
An agreement on her future was worked out yesterday in talks on board the vessel between management, the union and Ms Orge.
The meeting, during the ship's crossing from Rosslare to Pembroke, was attended by Irish Ferries' human resources director, Alf McGrath, and Siptu branch secretary, Paul Smyth.
In a later statement Irish Ferries said the parties had agreed to keep details of the deal confidential. The effect of the agreement was that Ms Orge would leave the ship on its arrival at Rosslare last evening.
It is understood Ms Orge accepted a financial package totalling €25,000 which included the value of her contract with CF Sharp. Although the recruitment agency was not party to the deal, it is also understood she has received assurances about her continued employment prospects with the agency.
An Irish Ferries spokesman said the company was sorry the incident had taken place and was delighted agreement had been reached. It was pleased Ms Orge had achieved her objective of earning money to help pay for the education of her three children.
In an interview last week a tearful Ms Orge said she was a single mother who had "big dreams" for her children.
"I want to send them to school and [ for them] to find a good job when they finish. Now I think that I lose my job and all my dream is just a dream," she said.
In their talks yesterday, management and Siptu did not discuss the union's strike threat arising from a separate row over outsourcing of crew.
The union served two weeks' notice of strike last week, but has not yet announced any industrial action.
