Workers ‘were handed one-way tickets back to Poland’

AN unfair dismissals case in which two Polish workers said they were driven by taxis to Cork Airport and handed one-way plane tickets back to Poland was settled yesterday.

However, after the case, the country’s biggest trade union, SIPTU, said it would be examining the employment of non-national labour in Cork and Kerry, which had large numbers of such people often in non-union workplaces.

SIPTU’S Donal Tobin said a high proportion of such people were being paid less and enjoyed lesser conditions than their Irish colleagues, but were entitled to the same protection under labour laws.

“Such workers are very vulnerable to the demands of employers, especially workers here on work visas from non-EU countries,” he said.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Tobin represented two Polish workers who brought an unfair dismissals case against a leading manufacturer of doors and windows.

The case was settled prior to the start of an Employment Appeals Tribunal hearing, at the Killarney Heights Hotel, Killarney.

The workers claimed to have been sacked at the premises of Kellor Services Ireland Ltd, better known as Munster Joinery, Ballydesmond, Co Cork, on August 28, 2003, and driven by taxis to Cork Airport where they were handed one-way plane tickets back to Poland by the taxi drivers.

However, they decided not to leave Ireland and contacted the Polish embassy. They also approached SIPTU.

When the tribunal convened, Mr Tobin said the parties had reached a settlement acceptable to the claimants, Tadeusz Ciesielski, 26, and Wojciech Zoltek, 21, following discussions.

Both sides said afterwards that details of the settlement were confidential.

It is understood that a financial settlement was reached.

The men, who come from near Cracow, and had been employed at Munster Joinery for two years. They said they were being paid a net wage of €340 for a 49-hour week, after reductions for transport and accommodation. They are now working with a panel beating company, in Killarney, and a light engineering concern, in Longford town.

The men claimed that, on the day of their dismissal at Munster Joinery, they were brought separately into offices at the premises. One said he was told the company was not happy with the state of his room and his behaviour.

Then, the men claimed they were driven by taxis to the six-bedroom house they shared with nine others in Killarney. They claimed three men, including a tall black man, were waiting for them, at the house; that they were given 10 minutes to pack their bags and brought by separate taxis to Cork Airport.

SIPTU insisted the case was about compensation, not reinstatement, but this was strongly rejected by Padraig O’Connell, solicitor for the company.

“Reinstatement was the issue, not compensation. They sought reinstatement, but have not been reinstated, nor would they be reinstated,” the solicitor said.

“The chairperson (Ms O’Mahony) mentioned the question of paying money, but I said there was no mention of money.”

Mr O’Connell said 240 other Polish people were working at Munster Joinery, had integrated into workforce and there was absolutely no difficulty with them.