Courts / Ireland / Report

Migrant fisherman wins minimum wage case

Date
2023-10-26
Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Summary

In a National Minimum Wage Act 2000 case, the trawler operator D&N Kirwan Ltd was ordered to pay €2,801.40 to migrant fisherman Alaa Shehata for failing to pay him the minimum wage. Shehata claimed he worked between 17 and 20 hours a day while at sea, barely having time to eat, and that the company's timesheets understated his hours. The company denied this, asserting the records were accurate and that the crew were not pressured to sign them. A skipper testified that crew members filled in their hours before he signed off, and that the crew never worked 17 hours a day. The adjudicator, Roger McGrath, found the complainant's evidence more credible than the company's, noted the company's failure to provide a statement of Shehata's hourly rate, and upheld the complaint, ordering the wage arrears.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Migrant fisherman wins minimum wage case. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

Why: Mr McGrath noted that Mr Shehata was in a position to proceed with the minimum wage complaint because D&N Kirwan Ltd had failed to respond when the union sought a statement of the complainant's hourly rate of pay as required by the legislation. CNI source report

Case subjects

Alaa Shehata

Applicant

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report

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