International Day of Solidarity with GAMA Workers

international | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis

Wednesday April 06, 2005 21:20

by Socialist Party Member - SP/CWI

Please support the struggle of the GAMA construction workers in Ireland.

* Pickets of Turkish embassies/consulates this coming Friday 8 April -
International day of solidarity and protest

* Send letters of protest (see details below)

* Send letters of solidarity to the GAMA workers, including asking
trade unionists to take up their fight (see details below)

Friday April 8th is to be an international day of solidarity with the Turkish Workers fighting for their rights with GAMA construction.

Pickets will be placed at Turkish Embassies/ Consulates in as many countries as possible.

This is a very important dispute that is set to escalate even further over the next few days. We urge everyone to spread the word and to participate in the protests wherever possible.

Send protests to:

Managing Director Hakan Karaalioglu

Gama Construction Ireland Ltd

Northwood Park

Santry

Dublin D9

Republic of Ireland

Fax: 00 35 31 1862 9698

Please send copies to:

Michael Martin

Minister for Enterprise

Trade and Employment

Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment

23 Kildare Street

Dublin 2

Republic of Ireland

micheal_martin@entemp.ie

Please email solidarity messages to the GAMA workers (via Joe Higgins TD) to the
following address:

joe.higgins@oireachtas.irlgov.ie

Ireland: Turkish GAMA workers strike for unpaid wages

Hundreds walk-off building sites in Dublin and Galway in show of strength

Michael Murphy, Socialist Party (CWI), Dublin

In a courageous and impressive show of strength, four hundred GAMA Turkish
workers staged a walkout from building sites across Dublin, yesterday. More
protests are planned today, Tuesday 5 April, in Tynagh, County Galway (west
Ireland).

On Monday 4 April, Turkish workers walked off their building sites across Dublin
in protest at non-payment of wages which are held by the company Finansbank, in
the Netherlands.

GAMA construction has hidden away possibly up 30 million euro in unpaid wages
belonging to these workers. This money is just a portion of the unpaid wages
owed. Most of these workers are in receipt of payment rates of 2.30 euro per
hour and working up to 80 or 90 hours a week.

Foreign workers are amongst the most exploited and vulnerable, which makes the
GAMA workers' decision to take strike action all the more brave and important.
Their action is a brilliant and courageous example to other super-exploited
workers in Ireland and across Europe.

The workers marched through Dublin to a mass rally in Liberty Hall where they
were addressed by members of the Turkish Workers' Action Group, Erie Fleming of
SIPTU (the workers' union) and by Socialist Party TD (member of the Irish
Parliament) Joe Higgins.

These workers exist in slave-like conditions. They are completely reliant on
their employers for food and accommodation. They have received no wages in weeks
and are quite destitute at this stage. Twelve workers " were locked out of their
building site in Tynagh, County Galway, last Sunday night, and alternative
places to stay have had to found in Dublin. This is an illustration of the
appalling situation facing the workers and the vicious reign of fear and the
intimidation by GAMA management on these sites.

The workers demand:

Immediate and full information to each worker about all money paid into the
accounts in Finansbank, Holland

Representative of Finansbank, Holland, to come to Ireland to give full
information to all workers about their accounts

Finansbank, Holland, to explain all the options open to workers about their
funds in the accounts

Finansbank to implement immediately any instruction by workers to move workers'
funds if they wish to any bank of their choice

A statement to each worker giving the real hours workers has worked, each month,
since starting with GAMA

A statement giving all the wages paid each month with details of what went into
each bank account

A statement giving the total wages owed to workers based on the agreed trade
unions rates. Immediate payment of all wages owed to the workers

No victimisation of any workers. No worker to be spoken to by management without
a shop steward present

No workers to be sent back to Turkey, or to any other country, unless they want
to go

Immediate implementation of trade union rates of pay and the 48 hour week

Payslips to each worker with full information