Crew of Famine ship to be paid outstanding wages

26th June 2009

Three of the crew of the Jeannie Johnston famine ship have been paid €16,000 in arrears of wages. However the company which had been operating the ship is appealing the award of another €5,000 by the Rights Commissioner Service to a crew member to the Employment Appeals Tribunal, according to a SIPTU statement this afternoon.

The three masted barque is a replica of the original Jeanie Johnston built in 1847 and used to carry 2,500 Famine victims to North America. It was built largely with public funds and is berthed on the North Wall in Dublin outside the headquarters of its current owners, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. It has not been operational at all this year and it is understood that the DDAA is seeking a new operator. It has been suggested that it might be a replacement training ship for the Asgard II.

International Transport Federation inspector Ken Fleming of SIPTU called on the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and the DDAA to intervene in this long running dispute earlier this month. Today he welcomed the payment of arrears due to the Captain Dermot Kavanagh, the Second Officer, Ian Davies and the Bosun, Daithi Dempsey by Rivercruise Ireland. He said that he was confident that the Rights Commissioner Service award of €5,000 to the Chief Engineer, Patrick Lawlor, would be upheld on appeal, bringing the total award to €21,000.

Published in News From the Afloat.ie Archive

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