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Sat 01 Jan 2009A tireless union activist
Tony Ayton:TONY AYTON, who has died aged 59, was the first dedicated International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) inspector for Ireland. He retrieved over $1 million in arrears of pay for seafarers during his six-year term and established the ITF as a credible and effective organisation.
His dispute on board the Alda K in 2003, a six-month battle to have the Syrian crew of this Tonga-registered freighter paid and repatriated, brought the appalling conditions on many Flag of Convenience (FoC) vessels to the attention of the Irish public for the first time.
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