A new investigation reveals sleep deprivation, inhuman hours and low pay are plaguing migrant workers working on prawn and whitefish trawlers operating out of Ireland.
The investigation by the Guardian said that African and Asian migrant workers are being illegally but routinely used as cheap labour working out of Ireland’s most popular tourist ports.
It describes a catalogue of abuses ranging from confinement in vessels with no permission to go on land to no proper rest days.
Some migrant workers also claim to have been deceived and lured onto trawlers in an act of labour exploitation.
Apparently, agents and owners appear to be exploiting a loophole designed for international merchant shipping which allows non-EU seafarers to transit through the UK for up to 48 hours if they immediately move on to join vessels working in international waters.
