Scandal of slavery on foreign ships

SEAFARERS on foreignflagged ships in British waters are working under ‘atrocious’ conditions, often without pay, it has been claimed.

The Nautilus International union said it raised concerns about incidents including a cockroach-infested Turkish ship which was detained in the port of Runcorn.

The crew were on less than £1 an hour and were owed huge amounts of back pay, highlighting how badly some workers are being treated in the shipping industry.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said: “We’re calling on the Government to affirm its commitments in tackling modern slavery in the shipping industry.

“There is an ‘out of sight and out of mind’ attitude towards conditions in some parts of the industry where seafarers are being exploited, but it won’t come as a surprise to those working in the industry that these practices are happening.

“Despite the Modern Slavery Act and international legislation, we’re finding that some shipowners are continuing to profiteer at the expense of crew. In many cases, seafarers are disposable, treated as a commodity rather than human beings.

“They’re being paid cents per hour, when they’re lucky enough to get paid.

“Twinned with this, we regard the lack of food or repatriation provided as an abhorrent example of slavery in modern-day Britain.”