Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I join the Deputy in urging the Government to take action on this as quickly as possible. It is not all vessels and it is not all employers. Where it happens, however, it is awful.

We have people working 17 hours a day in unconscionably awful conditions. They are extremely vulnerable. These are migrant workers. It is already tough for workers who work on land and who might have access to some resources to vindicate their rights at work. It is nearly next to impossible for workers at sea - people who are extremely vulnerable - to vindicate their rights. Collectively, we should be trying to alleviate that to the greatest extent possible.

I pay tribute to the International Transport Workers Federation for the work it does. However, that organisation has to feel that the Government is working against it instead of working with it. The Government should be working with the federation, particularly as we all have a responsibility to protect these workers.

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