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Migrant fisher in limbo after horror trawler accident

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Egyptian-born Adel obtained work last year on an Irish-flagged fishing vessel. That's when his troubles began, reports the Irish Independent's Anne-Marie Walsh.

Despite a legal route being available to hire Adel, the vessel owner chose to employ him undocumented, as did a second owner who took him on several months later.

It was while working for his most recent employer, onboard a trawler off the Cork coast, that Adel was severely injured - losing two of his fingers.

This kind of accident is all too common in an industry known for excessively long hours and resultant fatigue.

But because he is undocumented, Adel is not eligible for social assistance under Ireland’s laws. He has to rely instead family and friends for financial support until he can recover from the injuries and can join paid employment again.

Adel did the work, just like every other fisher. It was his employers who chose to recruit and employ him 'undocumented'. And now, he is left without the protections and support afforded to any other 'regularised' Irish worker.

But Adel is speaking up about this injustice.

With the support of the ITF, he and other migrant fishers and former migrant fishers in Ireland have been building a Migrant Fishers’ Network. They've been pushing for long overdue reforms needed in Ireland, such as proper implementation of the EU's working time at sea regulations, which would likely reduce the frequency and severity of unsafe hours migrant fishers are being made to work onboard.

The fishes also want a pathway to becoming documented. Becoming documented, or 'regularised', will give these workers access to the Irish Labour Court and other recourses to justice, should a fishing vessel owners violate their human or labour rights.

“This and many issues besides that we have been encountering in the sector ought to be dealt with by the government’s promised review of the Atypical Work Permit Scheme for fishers,” said Michael O’Brien, ITF Fisheries Campaign Lead for Ireland, who has been supporting the group’s organising efforts.

“Since last March, the Irish government has been sitting on recommendations from their officials to reform the sector."

“We need this review published, and, among other reforms: offer a path to Adel and the hundreds of other undocumented fishers to regularise their situation in the state and thus be better able to secure improved working conditions," he said.

O'Brien said the ITF wished Adel a speedy recovery, commending the fisher for taking a stand for fairness for all migrant fishers in Ireland.

(Photo credit: Arthur Carron/Independent.ie)

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カタールの政府・交通運輸企業との意見交換会

 ITF とカタール労働省は、カタール国内および国際的な運輸・物流企業と意見交換会を開催し、同国の交通運輸部門における国内労働法および国際労働基準の適用について議論した。  4 月末にドーハで開催されたこの会議では、経済、気候、衛生をめぐる不確実性の高まりを受け、交通運輸産業のレジリエンス(回復力)とサステナビリティ(持続可能性)を確保するために

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Resources

セーフレート(安全報酬)、安全な道路、持続可能な路面運輸のためのグローバルビジョン

背景文書。 世界中の路面運輸労働者は、低コストの入札慣行、不合理なスケジュール組み、低賃金により、仕事のプレッシャーが増大している。こうしたプレッシャーは、グローバル・サプライチェーンの頂点に君臨する企業(顧客企業または「経済的使用者」)と、下請けに過度に依存したビジネスモデル、不公平を通り越した文字通り破壊的な競争のレベルに起因している。その結果、運転手は過度な長時間労働、疲労した状態での運転