Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Last Sunday the fishing vessel, Ambitious, sank off the Galway coast, thankfully without loss of life. Four of the rescued crew were Ghanaian nationals who approached the International Transport Workers' Federation, ITF, for assistance. The documents provided to the ITF by these fishers showed they had been recruited illegally. They were bogusly given the impression they would be working on UK flagged vessels and were issued UK deckhands contracts promising €1,300 per month. This enabled them to receive a UK seafarers transit visa. However, once they landed in Belfast, they were put working illegally on an Irish flagged vessel. The ITF has reported these and other matters this morning to An Garda Síochána, the Workplace Relations Commission, the Marine Survey Office and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board. However, the vessel owner is attempting to send the four men back to Ghana in quick time before any of these authorities have an opportunity to hear of the men's ordeal. Does the Taoiseach support the call of the ITF that these fishers be permitted to remain in this State so that proper inquiries can be made?

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