A RESEARCH vessel contracted by Bangor University has been found to have breached immigration and labour laws by illegally employing seafarers at Menai Bridge.
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITWF), which inspected the vessel in October, found a Filipino crewmember was being paid a monthly salary of $1,900 USD for eight hours work per day, seven days a week – which amounted to 5.71, significantly lower than the UK National Minimum Wage for a 53-year-old man.
The Filipino seafarer had no visa or permit to work in the UK, however, documentation seen by Nautilus showed the seafarer's passport had been stamped by UK Border Force allowing him to enter the country - on the condition that the seafarer was entering the UK to join a vessel that was due to leave the country.
Other crewmembers included two Polish crew, who were similar cases; though they had higher wages they were still being employed illegally. The remainder of the crew were predominantly UK nationals, who were said to be unaware of their crewmates' employment status.
The Filipino seafarer was repatriated after only a few days onboard and will now have to wait for a new contract in the Philippines.
A Bangor University spokesperson said there was “a genuine misunderstanding in the hiring process” and denied that crew members had been paid below the minimum wage.
The crew has been banned by UK Border Force from working on the vessel, though it is not clear whether the seafarers had their wages paid or...
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