THE Government's policy on marine safety is more concerned with "large, well publicised capital expenditure" than with protection of workers at sea, the Donegal air/sea rescue campaigner, Ms Joan McGinley, said.
Commenting on the announcement of the renewed £3.2 million [west coast helicopter contract at Shannon last week, Ms McGinley criticised the Minister for the Marine, Mr Barrett, and the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, for failing to provide occupational injury cover for fishing crews.
"Fishermen are 70 times more likely to die at work than most other professionals, and yet secretaries in Dail Eireann have better insurance protection from the State," Ms McGinley said. The recent legislation for funding political parties had included this provision, she said.
"While the urgency with which this administration rushed through that legislation before Christmas is to be admired, I am certain that fishing families would be content with basic occupational injury cover and adequate social welfare within this coming Budget," she said.
The Minister for Social Welfare is due to meet industry representatives this week on the issue - almost a year after promising immediate action, Ms McGinley pointed out. After a court case on insurance for share fishermen in 1992, crews were deemed as self employed. The Department introduced a special rate to cover sickness and unemployment.
The scheme involves paying an extra 5 per cent of annual earnings, over and above the basic 5 per cent, to provide for 52 weeks' disability and 13 weeks unemployment benefit in each calendar year. The ceiling for the basic contribution is £22,300 annually, and a similar amount for the additional contribution. Only 50 of some 2,000 full time share fishermen subscribe to the additional payments while industry representatives have criticised the scheme as inadequate, harsh and discriminatory.
The average employee on land pays 5 per cent of annual earnings for such cover, with the additional 8.5 to 12 per cent met by the employer.
A spokeswoman for Mr De Rossa said this week's meeting aimed to resolve the issue. "We bare trying to explore where to go from here," she said.
Also commenting on marine safety, the Department of the Marine has moved to dismiss concerns expressed about the role of the Air Corps in search and rescue. A new medium load helicopter for the east coast, which is due to be on station at Baldonnel, Co Dublin, by next December, will be crewed by Air Corps pilots, the Department has said.
The initial leasing period for such an emergency helicopter may involve commercial crews, but the terms of the contract include a specific reference to the Air Corps. It states that the contractor must provide "necessary training and experience to Air Corps air crews with a view to individuals replacing the contractors' personnel on completion of that training and experience, on a one to one basis".
The notice for the new helicopter contract was placed in the EU Journal last week, with a closing date for tenders of February 20th. Tenderers are being asked to quote for a five year duration, beginning next December 1st, or a three year duration, with "the exclusive option" for the Minister for the Marine to extend it for "whatever period he requires, up to five years".