Gama accused of threatening workers

MULTI-NATIONAL construction firm Gama was yesterday accused of issuing workers with a “sinister and spurious” letter hinting that legal action may be taken against protesting employees to recover lost revenues.

The letter, issued to more than 200 protesting workers who agreed to return to Turkey in recent weeks, states that Gama’s reputation and financial resources have been damaged by their continuing protest.

The document, signed by four senior Gama managers, goes on to say: “Because you voluntarily stopped this illegal protest and decided to go back to Turkey, our company declares and accepts that when you return to Turkey, you will not be sued for financial loss and there will be no criminal complaint against you.”

Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins said the letter was “spurious” and contained many “sinister undertones” for workers whose families had already been subjected to a “campaign of intimidation and harassment”.

Mr Higgins, who has championed the plight of Gama workers from the beginning, yesterday wrote to Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin, to complain and highlight other instances of abuse including alleged threats that Turkish police and secret services would be contacted to investigate the families of workers.

In the letter, Mr Higgins pleads with Mr Martin to intervene as a matter of urgency through the Turkish Ambassador to Ireland.

The Gama letter comes as the Department of Social and Family Affairs revealed that Gama has been the major beneficiary of a scheme exempting employers from paying social insurance for employees from abroad.

In all, just over 70% of all exemptions actually went to Gama - which has to date received nearly e200 million in State contracts since arriving here in 2000.

Gama yesterday reacted to the commencement of official industrial action by SIPTU by saying most of its workers were continuing to work normally.

Both sides had been attending exploratory LRC talks, but SIPTU has expressed frustration at refusals to acknowledge claims that workers are owed millions in unpaid overtime.

“Gama does not accept the overtime claims being made by SIPTU and other parties and is prepared to have this matter dealt with before the LRC,” a company statement said.

Gama also confirmed that more than 200 of the 300 protesting workers have returned to Turkey. However, the company rejected any suggestion of intimidation and said it was available to attend substantive LRC talks on Monday.

“These workers had been led to believe there would be legal sanctions against them when they returned to Turkey.

“Gama has given them assurances that such rumours are false and that they have nothing to fear in returning home. Many of them have returned to jobs with Gama in Turkey or elsewhere,” the statement said.