"Fun Ships" are not fun for everyone, as Ulrich Delius shows in his article on the dark side of the cruise boom. The conditions under which the employees on a cruise ship have to work resemble the "sweatshops" of Asia. Long working hours, unpaid overtime, poor pay, mobbing - and the poorer the workers' home countries, the more basic and congested their accommodation, and the more difficult their situation on board. Recruited by agents, they usually have debts to be paid off. As cruise lines are facing fierce competition, they would not afford to pay higher wages or improve labour conditions.
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(108 words, 9 lines, March 2010, TW 58)