Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite
UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.
Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent
Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!
This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".
According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.
People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.
AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent
Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.
Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy
We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza
Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support
With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza
China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy
This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty
A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed.
The Saker >>
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony
Public Inquiry >>
Parse failure for http://humanrights.ie/feed/.
Last Retry Friday September 19, 2025 13:40
Sadiq Khan?s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don?t Cut Car Use Fri Sep 19, 2025 11:00 | Will Jones
Sadiq Khan?s officials suppressed taxpayer-funded research that showed low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) do not reduce car use after the London Mayor spent five years baselessly claiming LTNs are good for the planet.
The post Sadiq Khan’s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don’t Cut Car Use appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Europe?s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered Fri Sep 19, 2025 09:00 | Tilak Doshi
The delusional EU believes it can wield carbon tariffs as weapons. But its grandiloquent Net Zero scheme is destined to collapse under the weight of the bloc's utter economic irrelevance, says Tilak Doshi.
The post Europe’s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits... Fri Sep 19, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In Episode 51 of the Sceptic: Michael Murphy on Charlie Kirk, free speech and the scourge of ?anti-fascism?, and Ben Pile on how the British public are going cold on global warming.
The post The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits are Cooling on Global Warming appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Fri Sep 19, 2025 01:07 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture Thu Sep 18, 2025 19:00 | Noah Carl
The Right has spent much of the last decade railing against cancel culture, and was arguably winning the debate. It would be a mistake to abandon that position now.
The post We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
international |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report
Thursday March 31, 2005 16:31
by Anti-GAMA
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (14 of 14)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14I wonder how many scumbags have accounts elsewhere! Switzerland for example!
supported by PD law making, you too can avail of squeeky clean records and mature recollections in all business matters, be it construction, pharmaceuticals or licensed firework dealing.
No dodgy uncle bulgaria accountacy with us, or bank of scotland stings, its all squeeky clean, the shit hits the fan, we blow your neurones and you "forget".
remember Vote FF or PD for more cheese & toast.
'Cos lets face it, these scumbags are nothing less than vampires.
From the SP site:
------------------------
"Joe Higgins appeared on RTE's News at One today and was interviewed about the sensational discovery that up to €40 million may have been stolen by GAMA Construction from its employees.
We provide an MP3 of the interview - Download it here. - http://www.socialistparty.net/mp3/higginsnewsat1(30-03-05).mp3
Filesize is 500kb. (IE/Firefox users Right Click and 'Save Target/Link As' - Mac users "ctrl-click" the link and select "Download Link to Disk").
If you would prefer to read a full transcript of the interview, one is available here. - http://www.socialistparty.net/pub/news/gama40mil31-03-05.htm#3
-----------------------
This is astonishing stuff. I have to say hats off to the Socialist Party on this one. It must have taken some tenacity to uncover this stuff and hell of a lot of guts to go all out in public like this.
Check out the extracts from the lead story in todays Irish Examiner and follow the link to the rest. The writer seems to have accompanied Joe Higgins and the Turkish workers to Holland.
Workers set to reclaim millions in lost pay
By Michael O’Farrell, Political Reporter in Amsterdam
THOUSANDS of past and present employees of construction giant Gama are set to reclaim millions in lost wages after previously unknown accounts were yesterday discovered in Holland.
The accounts - amounting to a possible €40 million in workers’ money - were first set up in Dutch-based Finansbank in 2002 by Gama, the firm accused by Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins of stealing millions through underpaying migrant workers.
[...]
The bank said it had no idea that workers were not aware of their accounts.
“The only thing I can say is that the people should be taking care of the decisions they are signing,” Mr Tezel said.
However, Mr Tezel confirmed no statements had ever been sent to workers. He also conceded it was “unusual” that none of the thousands of Gama’s employees had ever contacted the bank in relation to their accounts.
In addition, it emerged yesterday that workers’ wages were transferred from Finansbank to a third mystery firm called Ryder Investments.
Full article at http://www.irishexaminer.com/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sgzIE0PHo-uOE.asp
excellent stuff this. keep digging Joe.
Fair Play to the SP, but they have been plugging away for years on the old Low Pay campaign so it shows that if the work is put in you will eventually hit a massive story.
It would be a good idea if someone but together all the important details in a report that could be circulated.
I note that GAMA is increasing it's advertising in Ireland, which must be as a result of the bad publicity. Have seen some large GAMA ads at some League of Ireland grounds. Football fans should send a letter to the clubs involved, and get friends, Unions, etc. to do so too, pointing out that the company steals from its workers and you would request the ads be refused.
gama are running scared I can only imagine what sort of panic is going on in their pr office. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in there!
Its incredible the lenghts corporations will go to to improve their image, whether its corporate logos, sponsorship or even demands made on the image of their workers, no long hair on men, no dreadlocks, straight hair etc
But in the end it's they can't hide the ugly truth.
This is amazing stuff, but I would like to know what the agreement between the workers was and Gama, what rate of pay and per diem was agreed.
Given that wages in Turkey are lower than rates in Western Europe, the rate of pay for these workers may well be generous by Turkish standards.
What is the position of current projects, will Gama be allowed to complete them, will they become embroiled in litigation for years before another company can complete them?
Ireland is now exposed to low wage workers who are more than willing to work for these rates. This is going to have a downward effect on pay scales in Ireland (and other high pay counties in Europe) for the type of jobs that can be imported at a lower rate.
Viewed from another angle, should Irish workers, working abroad, be paid the local rate in Turkey, Philippines, etc?
I am not sure, but does the minimum wage apply to workers contracted outside the country by foreign companies.If it does, should it. The main advantage of a company from a low wage country is its labor cost. If such companies are required to pay local high rates of pay, then they have lost their main competitive advantage. What affect will that have locally, more that likely, the contract goes to a Western company who will go over budget and over time?
In 1990, I worked in the Middle East and was constantly amazed at how quickly roads, motorways were built and repaired. Work was done 24 hours a day and jobs that would have taken years in Ireland were done in months.
The interesting observation in this environment was that whilst I was on a “high" rate of pay as an IT professional, it was just enough to pay my mortgage and allow a reasonably middle class lifestyle in Ireland. For the construction workers, on €100 to €200 per month, it was enough to allow them fund the purchase of apartment’s blocks back in India. So we should not compare pay rates for foreign workers with our own, these "low rates" are high compared to what they can earn at home. By forcing companies to pay high local pay rates could ultimately mean these workers having no work at all, companies would just employ local labor and avoid the housing and feeding costs.
Should foreign workers get the same rates of pay as Irish workers? For economic, moral and legal reasons: yes of course.
The main point about all this is that illegal exploitation of workers should never be tolerated. The influx of foreign workers allows unscrupulous employers to get away with this more often.
The example of mushroom pickers in Ireland shows there are people out there who will treat their employees worse than farm animals if they know they can get away with it.
Not only does the minimum wage apply to workers from outside Ireland (and the EU), so to does the agreed construction industry minimum. These legal requirements effect GAMA just as much as an Irish company.
Here is the latest from the Examiner, which is covering this story in by far the most detail of the mainstream media outlets.
Gama workers not told where wages went
By Michael O'Farrell, Amsterdam
THE Dutch-based bank holding millions in lost wages from thousands of employees of construction giant Gama, yesterday refused to tell workers how their money was being invested.
As revealed in yesterday's Irish Examiner, millions in worker's wages from Gama have been transferred through Dutch-based Finansbank to a mystery third company, despite the fact that workers never knew of the existence of the money.
Under a deal arranged by Gama in 2002, monthly transfers in the names of Gama's workers are immediately transferred from Finansbank to a firm called Ryder Investments.
However, Finansbank vice president Cengiz Benli yesterday refused to divulge the identity of those controlling Ryder Investments, saying confidentiality provisions prevented him from identifying anything about the firm.
more at http://www.irishexaminer.com/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sgm3XDJ8TlQfgsgdq-nXlDAyFE.asp
I wonder if it is irish or turkish owned / controlled?
that's the real question and if various govt enquiries don't answer that question then they aren't worth a damn
just like all reporting on tara issue is not worth a damn unless it identifies those 'developers' who stand to benefit from the route through the valley
so much news here is not news - just verbiage and cover-up
oh yeah fair play to joe higgins and the examiner on this one so far
joe is worth the whole labour party put together
A survey of Turkey in the Economist magazine( 19 march issue)indicated that corruption in business and among politicians, presidents and parlimentarians in this E.U. applicant country is the norm; open, blatant, endemic and ineradicable.
It makes people like Ray Burke,Liam Lawlor,Pee Flynn and the rest of the "Soldiers of Destiny" seem like model politicians.!
Perhaps we should be grateful for what we have-compared to what we might have had-if those Tribunals of Bertie Ahern,s only came a little cheaper.
First Gama made their admission that they had in fact been underpaying workers although not on the scale alleged:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0304/gama.html
Then their public face, solicitor Richard Grogan, who had told them that they only had one chance to make full and complete disclosure departed:
http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sg92BEnv8WOSA.asp
Now they have gone into the High Court to try and prevent the publication of the initial government report into their employment practices. An interim injunction has been granted until Monday:
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1369867&issue_id=12292
The labour party in Cork City made their great contribution to this fight for workers rights. Cllr John Kelliher attacked Cllr Mick Barry SP and his members for putting up posters for a meeting on the GAMA issue. Cllr Kellihers main concern was that the posters were litter and that the SP had no pemission for them.
Is it any wonder that the Labour Party is a laughing stock. A few days later big ugly plastic posters appeared on poles around the city advertising a meet Pat Rabbitte face 2 face meeting.