Taoiseach asked to help Gama workers

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern will today be challenged to do more to protect hundreds of protesting Gama workers being threatened with eviction from company accommodation.

As SIPTU puts in place arrangements to feed up to 350 striking workers at Gama’s Dublin building sites, Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins will call on Mr Ahern in the Dáil to act to ensure migrant labourers are not thrown out on the street.

On Monday, Gama removed 230 employees from its payroll following three weeks of demonstrations and withdrew on-site food services. Workers have also been asked to leave their on-site accommodation by Friday.

However, in a letter sent to Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin and Social and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) yesterday called on the Government to come to the aid of the workers.

In tandem with SIPTU president Jack O’Connor, ICTU general secretary David Begg formally requested “emergency social welfare payments and accommodation” for the workers concerned.

“Given the urgency of the situation, I would appreciate if you could act on this request as quickly as possible ... “This presents an appalling vista of people being left homeless and destitute in a foreign country,” Mr Begg’s letter reads.

Although it is unclear how workers will be housed from Friday, SIPTU yesterday opened an account in a local supermarket allowing protesting employees to get food and other supplies.

In a statement last night Gama said it would continue to withhold pay until workers returned to work.

“There is no question of them being evicted. The company has been unable to provide services on the site during the occupation and the workers have been helping themselves to company stores,” the statement said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Martin said he urged all sides in the dispute to “use the available industrial relations mechanisms of the State to resolve the issue”.

Meanwhile, a new migrant labour scandal involving six underpaid Filipino workers emerged last night in the constituency of Labour Affairs Minister Tony Killeen.

According to the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), the employees of Ennis Lifts are being paid just a quarter of the Registered Employment Agreement rates.

Instead of receiving €700 a week, the Filipinos receive just €700 each month.

Serving strike notice for next Friday, TEEU regional secretary Arthur Hall said Ennis Lifts had a poor record of industrial relations. The company declined to comment.