High Court Grants GAMA injunction

national | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Friday April 22, 2005 18:40 by jj

It seems that we may never be told the full story of what the state (belatedly and begrudgingly) found out from their investigations on GAMA. The High Court has decided that the report cannot be published. I bet that will come as a relief to some people in SIPTU HQ!

Remembering the balls-up that was made of the search on Brian Curtin's house, I find it somewhat disquieting that the investigation by the Dept. of Enterprise was done "unlawfully". It seems awfully convenient.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0422/gama.html

Injunction granted over Gama report

22 April 2005 16:20
The High Court has granted an injunction preventing publication of a Department of Enterprise investigation into Gama Construction.

Lawyers for the company had claimed the report into allegations of the exploitation of Turkish workers was compiled unlawfully.

However, Mr Justice Peter Kelly has ruled that the report could be sent to any State agency with powers of prosecution.



He said the report could be forwarded to five entities including the Garda Fraud Squad, the Competition Authority, the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the National Immigration Bureau and the Revenue Commissioners.

Justice Kelly said the work of the Labour Inspectorate would not be hindered by a further short injunction.

He said there were some disquieting and unsatisfactory aspects of Gama's behaviour in dealing with the inspectorate.

But he said the company had raised a valid issue in its objection to the wider publication of the report.


The matter will come back before the High Court for a judicial review on Tuesday week.

Gama employees have been on a work stoppage for three weeks, claiming the company has systematically underpaid them.

The allegations were investigated by the inspectorate on the instruction of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin.