No Break: Undocumented workers excluded from fishing sector work permit reforms

Modern slavery – which includes human trafficking and forced labour – is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that “a string of recent reports indicate that forced labour and human trafficking in the fisheries sector are a severe problem”.

This string of reports includes a number finding exploitation and trafficking within the Irish fishing sector by the MRCI in 2017, research from Maynooth University and successive annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) reports from the United States government.

Over the past six months, Noteworthy teamed up with journalists in the Philippines and Ireland to investigate modern slavery in the Irish fishing industry, with a focus on Filipino workers – the biggest group of fishers from from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) in the sector.

By combing through almost 100 inspection reports and numerous other documents obtained through freedom of information (FOI) requests, press requests to government departments and agencies, as well as speaking to fishers, advocates and those working in the fishing industry, we can now reveal:

• Proposed changes for government to improve conditions for migrant workers are excluding those who have become undocumented
• Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) inspectors investigating vessels with non-European Economic Area (EEA) workers detected almost 400 contraventions of employment legislation since 2016, of which at least 60 occurred since 2021
• Fishers working legally as part of the fishers working scheme for over four years were not able to obtain legal residence like their undocumented colleagues in this year’s regularisation scheme
• Inspection reports reveal potential trafficking and deficiencies relating to hours of work and rest

Lead researcher of this study Dr Clíodhna Murphy, associate professor of law in Maynooth University, said that “labour exploitation and poor working conditions are rife in the fishing industry”.

“Migrant workers are used and exploited within the fishing industry all over the world. This is a worldwide problem but the problems in Ireland can be traced to very specific policies and laws here.”