Irish cleaning company accused of exploitation

Thursday 06th of December 2007

A top Irish cleaning company has been accused of exploiting its Polish workers.

Newspaper Galway First documents a number of complaints and allegations that have been levelled at the Galway-based company - although it does not directly name the firm in its report.

The company apparently holds a number of the top cleaning contracts in Galway city.

One employee, who allegedly worked 80 hours of overtime during the month of October, received no overtime pay from the company, and was docked more than €1,800 from his wages after he crashed one of the firm's vans. He had not given the firm permission to make the deductions.

The massive reductions from his wage slip meant he was left with net pay of zero for the month of October.

"We have heard numerous complaints about this company and their practices and in this case you can't deduct someone's wages without written permission," Michael Kilcoyne, from the Irish Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, told the Galway paper.

"The Payment of Wages Act prohibits this."