Ghanian fishermen say they are owed redundancy on top of decommissioning payout

Seven Ghanaian fishermen have brought claims before the Workplace Relations Commission alleging they are entitled to statutory redundancy payments in addition to compensation received under a vessel decommissioning scheme administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara. The men, recruited to work in Ireland under an atypical work permit scheme for non-EU fishers, received payments based on years of service aboard the same vessel when their employer applied for €2 million in decommissioning compensation in 2022. Their union representative contends the decommissioning payments have no legal bearing on separate statutory redundancy entitlements, with individual claims ranging from €8,736 to €3,443. The vessel owner's legal team argues the scheme compensation was intended as redundancy payment in lieu of additional statutory entitlements, and that granting the claim would create discriminatory outcomes for Irish and EU fishermen. Adjudicator Jim Dolan has reserved judgment pending further consideration of the submissions.