Gama workers set to picket power station

Michael O’Farrell, Political Reporter

As the controversy surrounding allegations of wage fraud and underpayments at Gama continues unabated, the focus of ongoing workers’ protests will shift to the ESB’s

E200 million Lanesboro power station built by Gama. Today’s demonstration marks three weeks of unprecedented protests by hundreds of Turkish workers since the discovery of up to E40m of wages in previously unknown Dutch bank accounts.

In addition to today’s protest, representatives of the Turkish Workers Action Group (TWAG) will meet with Gama management to discuss the return of workers’ money from Finansbank in Amsterdam.

The meeting comes as the bank yesterday faxed more than 300 statements in the names of workers to TWAG representatives and provided the Department of Enterprise with a detailed list of the amount due to each worker.

Meanwhile, as the High Court battle over the publication of a Labour inspectorate report into allegations against Gama continues between the Government and the company, the Department of Enterprise was again criticised in the Dáil for failing to do enough to protect workers.

Labour enterprise spokesman Brendan Howlin said that even with extra staff allocated last week, the Labour Inspectorate could not hope to prevent migrant abuse.

Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin said a new Employment Permits Bill would seek to enhance protection for migrant workers.

“We have to enhance and empower the employee to a far greater extent. It is my intention to give far greater freedom of mobility to employees to go to other employments, and to make far greater statutory provision of information in terms of entitlements and salaries.”