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UK deportation threat to Filipino seafarers
19 June 2009
Filipino seafarers working in UK waters are facing the threat of deportation by working within the 12-mile limit of British territorial waters, rather than strictly within international waters.
The warning from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has caused concern in the Scottish fishing industry, which relies on hundreds of Filipino fishers, as well as fears that the seafarers will seek work in the Irish fishing industry, and face exploited conditions there.
The UKBA has given owners six months to comply with the regulation that Filipino crew should not be working within UK waters without a visa, and face fines of up to £10,000 a worker if they do so.
The treatment of Filipino crew in the Scottish fishing industry has already raised fears that these seafarers face exploitation in their working and living conditions. The ITF has raised concerns that Filipino seafarers are paid less than the UK minimum wage, and highlighted the exploitation of migrant fishing crews in its report, Migrant Workers in the Scottish and Irish Fishing Industry – forced or compulsory labour or just plain modern day slavery.
An estimated 1,800 Filipinos work on British and Irish registered vessels, with an estimated 500 working in the Scottish fishing industry.
The ITF has called for non-European Union migrant fish workers in the UK to be protected by work permits.
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