Trouble in Ireland

Construction company Zakłady Remontowe Energetyki (ZRE) made it into the Irish newspapers last week when an Irish trade union protested that the firm's subsidiary was exploiting Polish welders and fitters employed at the electricity generation plant Moneypoint.

According to the TEEU union, 63 Poles working as fitters and welders are being paid EUR 5.20 (zł.19.95) an hour, even though ZRE Katowice signed an agreement with the union to pay rates of EUR 18.97 (zł.72.73) an hour.

"In any man's language, that's exploitation," Pat Guilfoyle of the TEEU told The Irish Times. "No manipulation or massaging of those figures can cover up for that fact." Guilfoyle also expressed fear that exploited foreign workers would replace Irish employees.

Bogusław Adrianowicz, Secretary of ZRE Katowice (Ireland) Construction Ltd. explains the Polish company is not in breach of the law. "The whole story is only half true. We had an audit conducted recently and it revealed some minor flaws in the remuneration system, but the whole mess around the difference in wages paid to Irish workers and Poles is a misunderstanding. It stems from different systems of remunerations with Polish workers being paid net wages and Irish employees getting gross amounts," Adrianowicz told WBJ.

Also, the chief contractor at Moneypoint, the Irish state-owned electricity company ESB, confirmed the audit revealed some problems in their subcontractor's accounting.

"As a result of that, a memorandum of understanding has been reached with the contractor concerned. They've agreed to abide by all relevant labor laws, including back pay where necessary, and will be subject to a further audit by the end of this month," an ESB spokesman said.