South Dublin County Council has launched an investigation into claims that a member of staff travelled to Turkey to give evidence on behalf of the controversial construction company GAMA without its consent.
The council official is believed to have appeared as a witness for GAMA to give evidence about working hours.
GAMA is being sued in Turkey by former employees who claim they were underpaid while working on local authority housing developments in Dublin.
GAMA construction was at the centre of a huge controversy which has led to current proposals to change Irish employment law.
The company was accused in the Dáil of exploiting its Turkish employees by paying less than the minimum wage and of keeping their money in Dutch bank accounts without their knowledge. These claims are still under investigation by the Department of Enterprise.
After a protracted dispute last year many of the workers received back pay but most returned to Turkey where they are now pursuing legal action against their former employers.
It has now emerged that an official of South Dublin County Council who was employed to oversee GAMA's work on a local authority housing project gave evidence to a Turkish Court on behalf of GAMA.
However, the council did not know about it. This evening, the council said it did not authorise any member of staff to give evidence on its behalf or on behalf of any company and that a full investigation has now commenced.
Those who campaigned for the GAMA workers have raised the matter with the local authority.
They say it is understood the official gave evidence to support GAMA's claims that workers did not consistently work long hours, a claim the Turkish workers have long disputed.
It is now expected that the evidence given to the court in Turkey will be called into question by the former GAMA workers.
