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MIGRANT FISHERMEN WORKING on Irish boats are subject to severe underpayment, discrimination and exploitation, new research has found.
The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) research, which included in-depth interviews with over 30 fishermen, found that the majority (65%) work more than 100 hours a week.
Workers receive average pay of €2.82 per hour, and 40% do not feel safe at work, according to the organisation’s survey.
One in four fishermen have experienced verbal or physical abuse, according to the survey while one in five have experienced discrimination and racism.
The Irish fishing industry has faced criticism in recent years over the treatment of workers in the industry.
Irish fishing industry
In April, an investigation found that a quarter of Irish fishing vessels that were inspected by the State were caught with illegal workers on board last year.
There are also suggestions that thousands of undocumented workers could still be employed in Irish waters.
In July of this year, over 100 Irish fishing vessels were also found to be in breach of a scheme set up to protect foreign staff working on their ships.
“Ireland cannot be proud of the food we produce unless we respect the people who produce it,” said Edel McGinley, MRCI Director, adding:
“Fishing is a tough job in a complex industry, and it’s even more difficult and dangerous for migrant fishers enduring chronic underpayment and shockingly long hours.”
In 2015, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper found that workers from Africa and Asia were routinely being employed illegally on Irish fishing trawlers and were being exploited as a source of cheap labour.
Working scheme compounding problems
Following the revelations, a government task force was set up to tackle the issues in the Irish fishing industry, however this new report reveals that the Atypical Working Scheme developed by the task force has in fact compounded problems.
“As a result of this scheme, these skilled and experienced fishermen are being paid minimum wage for a 39-hour week – while, like all fishers, working much longer hours. This means their actual hourly pay is less than €3,” McGinley stated.
“This must be an immediate priority for Minister Heather Humphreys. people need to be sure that the Irish fish they buy is exploitation-free,” she concluded.
The MRCI report recommends that the Atypical Working Scheme should be replaced with an immigration permission that ensures non-EEA fishers are paid equally and can move freely between employers.
It also recommends that specific regulation be implemented in the form of a sectoral employment order or Joint Labour Committee, which would set out terms and conditions for workers. The report also stated that one body – the Marine Safety Office - should have responsibility for coordination of compliance in the sector.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation have been asked for comment on the report.
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Are interviews with 30 fishermen really statistically relevant in any way?
Why not survey all 6,100 fishermen in Ireland or a sample of say 600 and use that as a basis of a report? Applying the experiences of 30 people to an industry of over 6,000 seems like a stretch.
@Thought for Food: do you not realise that these quangos have to justify their existence? If scraping the bottom of the barrel with 30 interviews is the minimum standard of proof required they’ll gladly seize upon it. Irish & European fishermen are every bit as exploited but they’re of no interest or benefit to the quango concerned.
@Matt Donovan: says included 30 in-depth interviews and 100 boats in breach. So, not just 30 interviews.
I know very little about the Irish fishing industry but the general discourse is that there these type of work practices are somewhat commonplace. However, it would be interesting to compare the data with that of a ‘normal’ week for an Irish fisherman. I suspect that Irish fishermen often work 100+ hours per week. Surely thats the nature of the work and you are considered to be working for the entire time the boat is at sea?
@Nick Allen: Exactly. It’s a bit hard to work 39 hours when you are out on the Porcupine Bank.
@Nick Allen: paying well below minimum wage is unacceptable though
And they are probably illegal too
@Frank Dowling: ah, that makes it grand so.
@Frank Dowling: always one like Frank Dowling. Dope
@Franklin, get a life, would ya!
Fishing is a very tough occupation.
Lots of losses and only small gains.
The supertrawlers are scooping up the bulk of the fish.
Surely your membership of the EU makes this sort of thing impossible.
How odd.
@Damocles: how would it make it impossible? People break the law all the time.
There’s something fishy about this survey.
This was looked at 2 years ago and there was a cover up.
Exploitation is disgusting, what type of person can pay this meagre amount per hour?
Fishing is a tough, dangerous business to be in and usually follows generations. These people obviously want to work, otherwise, they’d be better off on the Dole.
However, let he who does not shop at Penneys and other Cheapo chain stores with questionable employee practices abroad [unsafe work conditions, long hours for little pay] children etc, cast the first stone. That goes for makers of high end Smartphones too.
SJW: Social Justice Warrior. A pejorative term for an individual who repeatedly and vehemently engages in arguments on social justice on the Internet, often in a shallow or not well-thought-out way, for the purpose of raising their own personal reputation. A social justice warrior, or SJW, does not necessarily strongly believe all that they say, or even care about the groups they are fighting on behalf of. They typically repeat points from whoever is the most popular blogger or commenter of the moment, hoping that they will “get SJ points” and become popular in return. They are very sure to adopt stances that are “correct” in their social circle.
ISME will say. ah sure they’re students just looking for some pocket money.
Worked on a trawler in the Southern Ocean years and years ago and you got paid a % of the catch and that was only after the expences for the boat got paid. It’s a tough job and anyone working in the industry knows this.
That’s working to the Irish man for you, greedy basd#rds!
First, nobody force these people to stay here to be so called exploited. They can go home anytime freely.
Second, the report doesn’t say if employer offers free accommodation, free meals, free utility bills, etc.
So, such report is totally meaningless.
Let’s all pretend we’re shocked
BULL SHT
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