Gama facing legal action in Turkey

Turkish construction company Gama is facing separate legal action in Ireland and Turkey by workers seeking back pay they claim…

Turkish construction company Gama is facing separate legal action in Ireland and Turkey by workers seeking back pay they claim they are owed.

In Turkey, up to 80 former employees of the company in Ireland are preparing a class action lawsuit, according to Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins. Two lawyers there are preparing a case to be taken through the Turkish courts. Meanwhile, a number of former employees have returned here to pursue claims for unpaid overtime through the Labour Court.

Last April, most of Gama's Irish workers received payments when their missing wages were located in a Dutch bank. Separately, the workers pursued a claim for unpaid overtime, with many staff saying they worked up to 80 hours a week overtime but were paid for half that amount.

While 90 of these workers who stayed in Ireland won awards, hundreds more had already returned to Turkey. A small number of this group have now returned to Ireland to pursue their claims.

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Mr Higgins said it appeared Gama was now paying industry rates on their projects. However, he feared it might try to get around minimum wage laws by employing sub-contractors.

The Supreme Court is due to rule shortly on whether a labour inspector's report on Gama can be published.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.