Talks aimed at resolving the increasingly bitter dispute at a Turkish construction company accused of grossly underpaying its workers are due to begin at the Labour Relations Commission on Monday.
Gama Construction would not confirm yesterday whether it would attend the talks, which have been called following a six-week stoppage by some of its Turkish workers.
A spokesman said the company had always been prepared to attend the LRC for talks but was reviewing its position in light of "illegal picketing" of one of its Dublin sites by Siptu.
The allegation of illegal picketing was rejected by Siptu, which along with two other unions, Ucatt and Opatsi, is currently engaged in an official strike at Gama's Dublin sites.
Both sides were urged yesterday by Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin to attend the LRC talks without preconditions, and the unions have already said they will do so. He also called on Gama's workers not to go ahead with a hunger strike they have threatened in a bid to have their grievances addressed.
Up to 300 of Gama's Turkish workers began an unofficial strike six weeks ago, claiming they were paid between €2 and €3 an hour for an 80-hour week.
Most of those involved in the protests have returned home to Turkey and only about 90 remain in Ireland. They claim many of those who went home did so because of harassment of their families in Turkey.
Gama yesterday repeated its claim that it was Siptu, rather than the company, that was guilty of intimidation.
It claimed the union had mounted pickets at the Balgaddy site "in an arbitrary and intimidating manner" and that employees and management had been threatened and refused food and access to their belongings.
It also claimed a Siptu strike ballot had not been conducted properly in that employees not in dispute with the company had not been offered a fair opportunity to vote.
The allegations were rejected by Siptu national organiser Noel Dowling, who said advance notices of the aggregate ballot conducted by the three unions had been prominently erected at the Dublin sites.
Workers who had not been engaged in picketing had taken part in the vote, which was overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, he said. He also denied allegations of intimidation, saying picketers had been clearly told by the union that they should not block access to the sites or threaten anybody.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, meanwhile, has refused to answer questions put to it by The Irish Times last week about a range of issues concerning Gama.
The department said yesterday it would not deal with any questions about Gama while a High Court injunction, preventing publication of the recent labour inspectorate's report into the company, remained in place.
