Defiant Gama to send 140 workers home

THE multinational construction firm accused of stealing millions in workers’ wages is to repatriate 140 Turkish employees, despite Government assurances no worker would be sent home.

As protests against the company escalated yesterday, Turkish firm Gama said it could no longer retain the workers in Ireland as it had no work for them.

It is understood the workers concerned have finished one contract and were due to commence work on another site but have been unable to do so since the land is occupied illegally.

The move comes despite a Government freeze on Gama’s work permits. Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin has also forbidden the company from sending workers home pending the publication of a Government probe into allegations of wage fraud.

Government sources indicated last night they were unhappy with the move since it would make resolving the Gama protests more difficult, but confirmed they had no powers to force Gama to retain employees if it had no work for them.

A spokeswoman for Mr Martin said he was anxious that several unaddressed issues about terms and conditions be resolved.

“The minister is anxious these issues be sorted out as quickly as possible, regardless of where the workers are,” she said.

In a statement last night, Gama accused protesters of intimidating workers who continued to work.

However, 400 workers from Dublin and Clare who yesterday picketed Gama’s largest project - a power plant in Tynagh, Galway - said most workers inside the site had been prevented from joining in the protest.

Responding to fresh allegations that workers had been threatened and thrown out of their accommodation on Sunday night, Mr Martin also summoned Gama’s management to a meeting in Dublin yesterday, at which the company defended itself. Negotiations will take place in Dublin this morning between unions, workers and senior Gama management. Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins said: “Gama now have conceded a meeting. It shows they are under pressure so the workers now have to maintain the pressure to allow them to get their basis justice.”