Concerns about the treatment of migrant workers in the horticulture sector were raised yesterday as an investigation opened into the dismissal of a group of mushroom pickers in Co Cavan.
The 14 female workers, from Lithuania and Latvia, claimed they were dismissed last week after complaining about a change in work procedures.
They said they had been working between 80 and 100 hours per week for an average of €250, about a third of the national minimum wage.
The women, whose ages range from 19 to 59, also said they had to work Christmas Day as a normal working day. At no stage did they receive pay slips or contracts of employment, they said.
They worked on a farm called Kilnaleck Mushrooms, which is operated by a businessman from the North. He could not be contacted yesterday for comment.
Siptu assistant branch organiser Irene Donegan said yesterday that the women were in "desperate straits" as a result of their summary dismissal.
They were not in receipt of social welfare, as PRSI contributions had not been made on their behalf and they had not been habitually resident in Ireland for two years.
The women were also unsure how long they would be allowed remain at their accommodation, as they were unable to pay their rent of €50 per week, she said.
Ms Donegan had raised their plight with the local Society of St Vincent de Paul. Most were anxious to remain in Ireland and find alternative jobs. Siptu was preparing unfair dismissal claims on the women's behalf and had also contacted the labour inspectorate of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
An investigation had begun and a number of the women were interviewed by labour inspectors yesterday, she added.
Ms Donegan said she was also asking the women's employer to return €25 per week he had taken from each of them in "tax", despite the fact that he claimed they were independent contractors rather than employees.
She had asked the employer how he could justify withholding the "tax" and he had said he was "doing it as a favour" to the women, she said. "He said it would be there for them when they had to settle up with the Revenue Commissioners."
Concerns were expressed yesterday that the incident is not an isolated one in the horticulture industry, and the mushroom sector in particular.
Ivars Lasis, first secretary and consul at the Latvian embassy in Dublin, said the vast majority of Latvian workers in Ireland were "doing fine" and finding the experience a good one.
However, complaints were being received about employers in a number of sectors and the "worst cases of exploitation" appeared to be occurring on mushroom farms, he said.
Many workers involved had poor English and because they were based in rural areas they did not have ready access to information about their entitlements.
Complaints received by the embassy ranged from a failure by employers to pay for overtime and holidays to refusals to provide pay slips. Rates of between €200 and €300 for a 100-hour week had been reported.
There was also anecdotal evidence, Mr Lasis said, of workers suffering health problems from using fertilisers and chemicals without adequate protection.
Bill Abom of Migrant Rights Centre Ireland said it received a disproportionate number of complaints about the mushroom sector.
