Crew refuses to leave harbour until they are paid for past four months

CREW members of a Latvian-registered ship have refused to move from the quay wall of Greenore harbour until they are paid the salaries which have been withheld from them for the past four months.

The 11 Latvian crew, including the captain of the Fortuna I, are striking because they are owed four months arrears in pay.

According to Ken Fleming, of SIPTU and the Irish Transport Federation (ITF), the 2,000 tonne bulk freighter is carrying 1,750 tonnes of steel bars for a Galway-based importer which supplies manufacturing and construction companies.

“The men have been told repeatedly they will be paid after the next trip. They have literally sailed from port to port on promise after promise and say they ain’t sailing any further until they are paid,” he said.

Mr Fleming said the crew have been working approximately 300 hours a month and even though their basic pay is only €257 a month the overtime means that the arrears will be substantial, when unpaid overtime is factored in.

“They are very honourable. Even though the ITF believes the salary the men should receive is ridiculous, the men only want the money which is owing to them since November,” he said.

The ITF inspector said he had been in contact with the operators of the vessel, Spader Shipping in Latvia, but all they had offered was the pay up to December.

“The company seems to think that is a good gesture given that the strike action has been taken with such short notice,” he said.

He said the stand-off would continue until the men got what they were entitled to. “They have enough food and drink for approximately a week,” he added.

This is the fourth ship in the past four months to have been detected by the Irish Transport Federation allegedly failing to pay its staff anywhere near to their entitlements. Two Russian vessels from the same company, the Merchant Bravery and the Merchant Brilliant, were both operating in Irish waters under the charter of Norfolk Lines and were both found to owe their crew thousands of euro.

Last month, the Thai crew of the Korean vessel Naxos were found to be earning less than the equivalent of €1 an hour.