Gama bow to pressure and resume food supplies to workers

MULTINATIONAL construction firm Gama yesterday caved in to Government and union pressure and promised to resume supplies of food to protesting employees.

The firm, embroiled in a series of protests over underpayments and alleged wage fraud, had told over 300 striking workers to leave their residences by next Friday.

In a move criticised by the Government and unions, Gama had also withdrawn food from the workers who were completely reliant on the firm for supplies. However, in a letter to the Taoiseach on Thursday, Gama said it would resume supplying food and refrain from evicting anyone.

The concession, which follows criticism from Mr Ahern in the Dáil this week, was confirmed in a statement to the press yesterday: “Gama announces that food in the canteens at the Dublin sites that are being occupied by protesting employees will be replenished today. Access to these sites has been prevented in the past 24 hours by pickets by the protesting workers,” the statement said.

Gama again repeated claims that over 250 non-protesting workers had been intimidated and prevented from working by those demonstrating. They continue to refuse to return to their jobs and their work,” the company statement said.

However, while Gama has ruled out forcibly evicting employees, it remains unclear whether they will still be asked to leave next Friday. As the unprecedented dispute heads towards its fourth week, Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins yesterday expressed frustration at the lack of Government action in securing millions in unpaid overtime wages. While workers have by now mostly received previously unknown wages held in mysterious foreign accounts, the question of up to 40 hours of unpaid overtime a week remains unresolved.

“We need to put pressure on the Government to advance the idea of tasking a cohort of accountants to process the overtime claim. The department is dragging its heels and suggesting that court action is preventing it from acting but this is not the case,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment said the issue of overtime payments were covered in a Government report currently injuncted by the High Court and could not be commented on. However, Mr Ahern has already suggested that the overtime issue be referred to the Labour Relations Commission.