PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
COMPENSATION FOR DISTANT WATER TRAWLERMEN (2 February 1999)

That this House recognises the injustice perpetrated on Britain's distant water trawlermen who lost their jobs and futures in 1976 when fishing in Icelandic waters was suddenly ended; recalls that Government ministers and opposition spokespeople then promised compensation, retraining and support to restructure the fishing industry, though none of these promises were fulfilled; is grateful that ministers and the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food after representations from the British Fishermen's Association of former trawlermen have at last begun consideration of how these injustices can be remedied; calls on the Government to reach a speedy decision which offers belated justice and compensation to men whose industry and jobs were eliminated through no fault of their own, and who after serving their industry and country in this most dangerous of jobs have been waiting for a quarter of a century for the compensation and proper pension provision which should have been their right and which would have been payable at the time, had it been realised then, what has since been accepted by the courts, the trawlermen were employed rather than casual labour with neither rights nor redundancy; believes that it is now time to do justice to these brave and patient men; and urges Her Majesty's Government to act and remedy the long standing grievance they have so patiently borne for so long.

Sponsored by:
Austin Mitchell (Labour)