This article is from page 12 of the 2006-05-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
CONCERN was expressed yesterday that all Turkish workers employed by GAMA, the Turkish company constructing the €190 million Ennis bypass, may not have received back-monies owed to them by the company.
Independent deputy, Joe Higgins expressed concern over the situation after the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Michael Martin said that he is unable to give guarantees that all GAMA workers have been paid their back-monies from the company.
The company is currently aiming to have the first phase of the Ennis bypass completed by October of this year. It will remove all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from Ennis.
Last year, as controversy surrounded GAMA over alleged under-payments, Clare County Council erected a wall of silence over their contract with GAMA following legal advice.
Along with the bypass project, GAMA has been involved in a number of other construction projects in Ireland and in a written Dáil reply to Deputy Higgins, Minister Martin said: “the Department wrote to GAMA Turkey’s legal advisers on 29 April, 2005 seeking certain details on each current and former employee, including the money transferred to Finansbank and the money transferred from Finansbank to their personal bank account in Isbank in Turkey.
“Some weeks ago a substantial volume of data was presented by GAMA to the Department and was examined by my officials. The information was not sufficient to enable me to assure the Deputy that all GAMA workers in Ireland, past and present, have received value for the amounts that were transferred into their personal accounts in Finansbank. GAMA has been asked again to supply the missing information.”
Minister Martin said that he was assured by GAMA’s senior managers, legal adviser and human resources consultant that all workers in Ireland, past and present, would have full access to the money transferred to their accounts in Finansbank.
In response to the Minister’s statement, Deputy Higgins told The Clare People : “it is very unsatisfactory and exposes the shortcomings in the level of transparency of how the workers were paid.
“The Turkish GAMA workers who were working in Ireland when this came to light received their money, but we don’t know about workers that had left Ireland prior to this becoming an issue. I want the Minister to continue to pursue GAMA to ensure that the payments have been made.”
County councillor Brian Meaney said: “GAMA has secured the largest ever public contract in Clare and it behoves the company to make all information requested by government available.”