Trade unionist Ken Fleming honoured as ‘fearless defender of workers’

This year’s Spirit of Mother Jones Award has been presented to Ken Fleming, the trade unionist who has spent more than a decade fighting for the rights of exploited seafarers both here and in Britain.

The Cork Mother Jones Committee chose Mr Fleming, who is the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s co-ordinator for Britain and Ireland, as well as a senior Siptu official, because of the work he has done since 2006 in ports, recouping millions of euro and fighting for proper working conditions for predominantly foreign fishermen.

Committee spokesman James Nolan said: “Ken has bravely exposed the exploitative working practices in sections of the marine and fishing industries and he has sought to organise the migrant fishers.