Four Russian seamen who were part of a crew which earned just over €2 an hour working aboard a ferry operating between Dublin and the port of Heysham in England, have been paid €49,000 in arrears this afternoon.
The men who were employed as part of a 22-man crew on the Merchant Bravery roll-on-roll-off freight ferry, were also awarded over €3,000 in expenses and fares home.
According the International Transport Worker's Federation (ITF), which is working with Siptu to resolve the ongoing issue, despite reaching an agreement with the agency responsible for hiring the seamen, there were constant attempts by the company to deny the men their rights.
"Despite prior commitments by ADG/Unimar, the crewing agency concerned, there were constant attempts today to deny these men their rights," said Ken Flemming, an ITF-Siptu representative.
"At first the local agency representatives only agreed to pay two of the men, then three and eventually four. They also tried to leave one man €1,000 short.
"At one stage we had to contact our legal team and initiate court proceedings with a view to having the vessel seized.
"We were also told by management representatives at one stage that the Garda Immigration Unit had closed and the men would face deportation. Fortunately the Unit facilitated us by extending the time during which the men could register," he added.
The ITF said that it now intends to secure arears for the remaining 18 members of the crew, which come from Russia, Poland and Latvia.
In a statement, Norfolkline, which chartered the Merchant Bravery, but was not responsibility for the crewing or technical management of the vessel, said that it would do everything possible to facilitate and support these discussions.
The company also said that it had contributed towards accomodation and travel expenses for the four Russian seamen, who are expected to return home in the coming days.
