More than half of non-European fishermen working on Irish vessels have reported being subjected to racist insults and verbal abuse, while a third say they feel unsafe on the ships where they work, a study to be published this week finds.
The report, conducted by Maynooth University’s law department, with funding from the International Transport Workers’ Federation, features interviews with 24 non-EEA (European Economic Area) male migrant workers in the Irish fishing industry.
It underlines how “extremely long working hours with few breaks, very low wages [usually below minimum wage given hours worked], racist insults and verbal abuse” were common experiences among the overwhelming majority of those interviewed.
The study warns the atypical working scheme (AWS) permission, which was introduced in 2016 to protect non-EEA workers in the fishing industry, and under which the worker is contracted to an individual employer, “can be used by employers as a means to threaten and exploit workers”.
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https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/migrant-fishermen-report-ongoing-racial-abuse-low-pay-and-poor-treatment-1.4702829