Sheep ship crew's rights denied
A SEAFARER'S union says the Jordanian owners of a live sheep carrier docked at Fremantle are underpaying their Pakistani crew and denying them shore leave in breach of agreements.
The International Transport Workers Federation says the 80 crew on the flag of convenience carrier Bader 3 are being paid half their entitlements and as little as 60 cents an hour for overtime.
The federation's national coordinator, Dean Summers, says the ship's operators have an agreement with the union on wages and conditions for the mainly Pakistani crew but that has been breached for a year.
"What is most upsetting is that the documents the crew have been forced to sign surrendering their human rights to shore leave and threatening 'harsh punishment' for any crew who talks to Australian authorities."
Mr Summers is calling on the federal government to ratify the International Labour Organisation's Maritime Labour Convention on seafarers' rights so Australian government officials can intervene.
WA opposition industrial relations spokesman Fran Logan on Friday called on the state government to intervene and stop the ship leaving Fremantle until the human rights violations had been addressed.
He said the sailors were effectively imprisoned on their own ship and it was estimated they were owed more than $500,000 in back pay.
Mr Logan called on the WA government to direct Fremantle Port Authority to refuse to release the 33-year-old ship until the owner, Jordan-based Arab Ship Management, looked after the workers.
"It is hard to believe Western Australia is experiencing such a human rights travesty right on our own doorstep."
The WA government, however, says the issue is a commonwealth one because it comes under the Federal Work Act.
Federal authorities say they are looking into the issue.
WA Farmers Federation president Mike Norton told ABC Radio that no sheep should be loaded on to the ship until their health and proper care was guaranteed and the workers were happy to transport them.