Many young Irish workers are being brutally exploited by companies while working in Australia, often by employers from their own country, Workers’ Party Meath representative Seamus McDonagh has highlighted.
“More and more stories of young workers being underpaid, having no right to holidays and being forced to work in dangerous environments are being reported to me,” Kells based McDonagh said. “Some of these young people are from Meath and unfortunately so is at least one rogue employer who it has emerged has being exploiting construction workers working on project’s across Australia”, he added but stated that it is an issue with workers from all parts of Ireland.
“Several newspaper reports in Australia have highlighted the unacceptable working conditions many young Irish workers are enduring. This month evidence emerged at a hearing of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance in Sydney, which revealed the systematic exploitation of young Irish construction workers by Irish managers. In a statement made to the commission a 24-year old Irish man makes allegations against the construction company, Lis-Con, that include immigration fraud, tax fraud, bullying and intimidation.”
In the statement the young worker, who worked with the construction company until returning to Ireland late last year, says that in just over two years he was forced to move to work in eight different locations in Australia “while working six days per week in harsh conditions and constantly feeling intimidated”. Constantly under paid while working a skilled trade he says he “left Australia feeling broken and abused”.
Dave Noonan, the head of Australia’s largest construction union, the CFMEU, said the revelations contained in the young workers statement, “shone a light on the systematic exploitation of overseas workers and reveals a sordid story of bullying by a construction industry employer.”
The young workers statement also alleges that Irish managers threatened workers who wanted to join a union. They also made claims of connections to paramilitaries and the mafia in order to intimidate young workers.
The investigations of the Royal Commission are continuing with the Australian Government attempting to use claims made by construction companies to undermine the trade union movement. In response trade unions have revealed massive exploitation in the construction sector of migrant workers. McDonagh, who organised migrant Irish workers in England to fight exploitation in the 1970s, said he is “saddened that a new generation is facing the same problems after emigrating”.
He added: “It is very unfortunate but not surprising that Irish people have also been exposed as very active in exploiting their own abroad. “However, we don’t expect the Irish government to do anything about this situation because it does very little to stop the exploitation of both native and immigrant workers in Ireland. “I believe young people who intend looking for work in Australia should inform themselves about workers’ rights and that the trade union movement here should ensure that Australian unions are assisted in organising these workers,” he said.