Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to recall that not that many weeks ago fishermen gave up 24 or 36 hours to come to Dublin to make their voices heard and speak up for their industry, which was under attack. Now, more than ever before, we must concentrate on the protection of those fishermen’s livelihoods. Regarding this amendment, we must always ensure that we as politicians always have the interests of our own fishermen most at heart. I state that because it is true that one of the most upsetting things it is possible to think of is our navy coming down hard on our fishermen at a time we are being plundered by people coming in from abroad, riding roughshod over our rules and regulations and constantly encroaching on our fishing grounds.

At the same time, then, our own fishermen are being let down. They are being scrutinised and having adverse work practices thrust upon them. It has been made more and more difficult for fishermen and fisherwomen to carry on with their work. All they want to do is earn a living. Even on a small scale, there is much involved in working as a fisherman or fisherwoman. I refer to the cost of the boats and the hauling in of fish. It is very hard work. Horrible things have been said in this Dáil about employers. People have gone on the record stating that employers in this regard have not been treating their employees right. That was wrong. It was an awful statement to make here. When the fishermen came up here to protest, we met the nicest of people from abroad who came here to work with our fishermen in our fishing fleets. Those people we met were delighted with the opportunity to work here.

They are extremely skilled people, who are paid the proper rates of pay and respected. Their work is appreciated. We heard them speak from their hearts outside this convention centre a few weeks ago and they said they were delighted to be working here. Then they heard politicians in here standing up and saying derogatory things about the terms of employment under which they are working and that they were being blackguarded. The Deputies making those statements here did so with protection against being pulled up on what they said, because it is permissible to say anything here and it need not be based on fact. It was an awful thing to do to those people outside. It was insulting to those workers, never mind how awful and hurtful it was to the fishermen who employ them. As I said, those employers respect and appreciate the good work of those employees.

However, all that is in danger. Successive Governments, and not only this one, have let our fishermen and the entire sector down. Again, this seems to be the trend of the Government. When it is the fishing, farming, tourism or forestry sectors, it is a case of attacking and undermining those core industries all the time. That is why we are willing to put our shoulders to the wheel to back those people and their aims and interests. We want to highlight what is happening in this sector. Let us take the example of what occurred during the recent negotiations concerning fishing and how our fishermen were once again sold out. Again, there was an attack on them. It was the same type of attack as that on small farmers during the negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy. People trying to tell us that small farmers are going to come out well from those negotiations are wrong and do not know what they are talking about.

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