Ferry firm accused of paying 'slave wages' to foreign worker
Union bosses today accused Irish Ferries of paying a foreign worker slave wages.
SIPTU chiefs claimed a Filipino woman, Salvacion Orge, who was working as a hairdresser on the Isle of Inishmore ferry was being paid just over €1 an hour.
The union claimed Ms Orge was hired by a recruitment agency and was being paid just over €350 a month.
It is understood she was expected to work 12 hours a day, seven days week, with just three days off a month – the equivalent to just over one euro an hour.
Paul Smyth, SIPTU branch secretary, said the union would fight for equal pay and conditions for Ms Orge.
“When we made representations to Irish Ferries’ management, they tried to distance themselves from the hiring agency instead of doing the decent thing and renegotiating her contract and paying her proper wages,” Mr Flynn said.
“Ultimately they proposed scrapping her contract and told her to get off the ship. The payment of this kind of slave wage is exactly what we predicted would happen if Irish Ferries got their way on outsourcing.
“This woman is now a member of SIPTU and it is our intention to pursue her case through all the means at our disposal.”
SIPTU said the International Transport Workers Federation had written to Irish Ferries expressing outrage at what they described as a scandal of employing a seafarer at such a low wage.
Brendan Howlin, Labour Party enterprise spokesperson, said the scandal highlighted the exploitation of foreign workers in Ireland.
“Too often companies use the shield of third parties or recruitment agencies to relieve them of the obligation to pay fair wages and conditions,” Mr Howlin said.
“Now it seems that even reputable companies will seek to use vulnerable migrant workers and exploit them in this way.
“There is a clear moral obligation on Irish Ferries to provide employment for this woman at a decent and acceptable rate of pay, rather than hide behind some contractor or recruitment agency to evade their clear responsibility in this matter.”
A spokesman for Irish Ferries was unavailable for comment today.
