Gama Construction responds to allegations

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Friday April 15, 2005 14:54 by Finbarr Gerard finbarrgerard at yahoo dot com

Letter sent to business partners, customers and suppliers responds to allegations of worker exploitation with claims of hidden agendas and workers wanting to outstay their work permits.

In a letter sent out this week to its business partners in Ireland, Gama construction attempts to give its version of recent events regarding claims of worker exploitation and the misappropriation of wages.

The letter dated 11th April and seen by this reporter states that the central allegation being made against Gama is that they pay their 'Turkish workforce €2-€3 an hour' and force them to 'work "grotesque" hours' but that these allegations are 'totally untrue'. The letter then states that many of Gamas business partners 'are familiar with our workers on site and the way we look after them.'

The letter claims that '[w]orkers are renumerated in accordance with the REA[Registered Employment Agreement] for any overtime worked' and goes on to detail their 'payments [which] are complex by construction industry standards. Turkish employees recieve portion of their wages in Ireland subject to Irish taxation, portion in Turkey subject to Turkish taxation and portion into a Dutch bank on the remittance basis of taxation. The Irish and Turkish payments payments provide for their personal and family living expenses. The Dutch bank funds paid into personal bank accounts for each employee are accessible and available to them at any time' and that their 'commitment to paying REA rates means that ... Turkish workers are renumerated very generously and well in excess of their normal rates.'

All of these allegations and responses are well known from the media coverage of this issue over the last few weeks but in this letter Gama claim 'that this type of allegation has been made frequently about Gama since we first came to Ireland and ... we have been able to demonstrate ... that we operate to high professional standards.' The letter then goes on to state that Gama are in the situation of having to this week repatriate 140 of their workforce whose work permits have expired and that the protests which have taken place this week occoured as repatriation arrangements were being finalised. Gama 'believe [these workers] natural fears and apprehensions about repatriation have been exploited by parties with other agendas.' The letter goes on to imply that some of those whose work permits have expired are using this situation to attempt to remain in Ireland.

The letter signed by Gama Construction Irelands managing director M.Hakan Karaalioglu finishes by stating that Gama will rectify any mistakes they may have made and will vigorously defend their good name through any channel available.