Fishing industry to probe exploitation of migrants
ITF inspector Ken Fleming is demanding action after his research unearthed up to 200 non-EU workers employed illegally on fishing vessels in ports around the country.
The Federation of Irish Fishermen has invited him to a meeting next week to discuss staffing issues across the country. He will highlight all the cases he has found, including the latest one he unearthed in Castletownbere, Co Cork, on Thursday.
Mr Fleming discovered two Filipinos were living in a small caravan on the outskirts of the town earning €435 per month to go to sea for long hours of shellfishing aboard the Dawn Hunter. Representatives of the owner of the vessel, Timothy Murphy, of 6 Derrymihan West, Castletownbere, said he was paying an additional €600 per month to house, feed and equip Ace Esmeria and Rene Mesana for the sea.
However, after meeting with the men at their caravan, Mr Fleming condemned the condition in which they were forced to live, as well as the low pay they were receiving, which was less than a third of the minimum wage.
Late on Thursday night Mr Fleming managed to secure payment for the men up to December 31 from Timothy Murphy.
They were then taken by taxi to Cork airport and placed on flights to the Philippines capital Manila, all paid for by Mr Murphy.
They were due to arrive in Manila today.
Mr Fleming said he would be closely monitoring the fishing industry for any rogue employers exploiting their crews.
The ITF inspector already has a tight schedule monitoring the thousands of merchant ships which enter and leave Irish waters each year. He has recouped far in excess of €1 million for underpaid seafarers in just the last three years. Adding the fishing industry to his brief, however, is a huge imposition on a one-man operation.
“We are the only protectors around the place and we already have a big remit with the ships coming into Ireland every day. Now it appears the fishing industry is also an issue,” said Mr Fleming.
“I left Dublin on Thursday at 6am and travelled hundreds of miles to Castletownbere to deal with this case. I worked on it until midnight on Thursday night. All of this work was at the expense of the ITF.
“We have no option to recoup the costs from any state body. That means this work is being done as charity because there seems to be no other organisation properly looking after the interests of the migrant fishermen,” he said.
“It is imperative that all of the parties in the industry come together — given the humanitarian work of the ITF we must be there — to find a way to establish an acceptable standard approved by the Government to maintain the industry without the abuse of migrant workers.
“I welcome the opportunity to meet with Gerard O’Flynn, chairman of the Federation of Irish Fishermen and I look forward to discussing the situation nationally with him.”
