The story below has now been removed from the Irish Independent site - possibly because of a threat of legal action on behalf of the strikers...

Gardai given porn images at centre of Green Isle row - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

GARDAI have been given copies of almost 700 pornographic images at the centre of a row between Green Isle foods and a union, which has resulted in a six-month picket outside the company's offices.

Yesterday a company spokesman confirmed that a file had been given to gardai in Naas, Co Kildare, containing the images, which were allegedly sent last year and which, it claims, forced it to fire three workers.

Workplace

Admitting that the images were not illegal, the spokesman said they "had no place in the workplace".

"I understand that gardai have asked to look at them," the Green Isle spokesman said.

"The company's position is whether it's legal or otherwise, it has no place in the workplace, which is why it took the decision six months ago to dismiss these workers.

"There was a formal request last Friday by gardai and images were handed over to local gardai in Naas. These images came in over a period of two years. All 700 images came from one point, before being stored and sent on the system to other people internally and externally."

The discovery of the images in the firm's computer system led to three workers being dismissed and the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) placing a picket on the firm's plant. It claims the three were unfairly dismissed and a decision from the Labour Court means the company must reinstate them or offer compensation of €180,000.

But the company says, as a non-union business, it is not obliged to engage with the Labour Court. Yesterday a spokesman said that informal talks would continue today, but that the workers would not be re-employed.

"The company took the decision to sack people over a particular issue," the spokesman said. "The Labour Court was not appropriate because it's not a collective issue and Green Isle is not unionised.

"The company still wants this resolved as soon as possible and it can only be resolved around mediation. The three individuals that the company took a decision to sack will not be coming back."

Protest

TEEU shop steward Jim Wyse and former Offaly footballer John Guinan are on hunger strike in protest at the dismissal of their three colleagues.

Some 400 people marched to the plant on Saturday to support the three workers who lost their jobs, but the company says the dispute will only be resolved through the independent mediation currently underway.

The TEEU says the dispute is over what they claim to be the unfair dismissal of the workers and the rights of workers to have union representation, and not about inappropriate emails.

notes from no w here