Seafarers today picketed the offices of Swansea Cork Ferries in a protest that again raises the issue of poor pay and working conditions for foreign workers in Ireland.
Work aboard the company's MV Superferryis not governed by a trade-union negotiated agreement, and unions say "benefits and safeguards" afforded to other Irish-based seafarers are denied to workers aboard the MV Superferry.
Tony Ayton of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) said pay aboard the vessel "is greatly substandard".
"Swansea Cork Ferries also deny their crew the right to be members of and be represented by an independent and free trade union," Mr Ayton added.
He said the company refused to sign a deal agreed in 2002 that would see national minimum wage rates introduced incrementally over a five-year period. This did not happen, and the company ceased recognising the union and set up a staff association for workers as a means of bypassing the unions.
Swansea Cork Ferries maintains it now pays minimum wage, but Mr Ayton said a crew member aboard the vessel would need to work 70 hours a week to receive the equivalent of someone on minimum wage working a 39-hour week.
He also said the company's wage calculations include "some allowances and labour costs that are expressively forbidden to be included in the calculations of the national minimum wage".
The MV Superferrysails 10 months a year with around 70 crew aboard who are mainly from Poland and Eastern European countries.
Swansea Cork Ferries hit the headlines in 2001 when two children aboard the Celtic Pridedied from inhalation of fumes in one of the vessels cabins.
A year later, another of its vessels, the City of Cork, was suspended twice for failing safety inspections.
In March of that year, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency found "a lack of preparedness as demonstrated by fire drills, full muster, abandon ship and damage control drills". In June the Department of Marine threatened to suspend the vessel indefinitely after it again failed a safety inspection.
The MV Superferrycame into service in Ireland in March 1993 and has capacity for 1,400 passengers, 350 cars and 40 trucks.
Workers aboard the MV Superferrywill today hand in a letter to management as part of their protest seeking the implementation of the deal agreed in principle in 2002.
Controversy surrounding pay and conditions for foreign workers was raised earlier this year when Turkish construction company Gama was accused of underpaying its employees.
The company has been contacted for comment.