Trade union to take state to court to change laws on migrant fishers’ rights
ITF says government has ‘botched’ transposition of EU law around working time for migrant workers in fishing industry
The government is facing High Court action over its application of an EU directive on working conditions for migrant workers in the fishing industry.
The ITF, a trade union that represents fishing industry workers, plans to launch a judicial review case against the state in the coming weeks, arguing that Ireland has incorrectly transposed the EU’s Working Time directive which regulates the amount of time workers should work while at sea.
It comes after the Business Post reported on severe violations of conditions for migrant workers in the fishing industry, including extremely long working hours, below minimum wage pay, racist insults and verbal abuse. The findings were contained in a report from Maynooth University, which will be published on Tuesday.
