SIPTU trade union official Michael Kilcoyne said it had recently been brought to his attention that the signs had appeared on a couple of Polish building sites where workers were being sought.
“The reality is that our international reputation as employers has been sullied. Many foreign people who have worked here, especially during our boom years, have had bad experiences,” he said.
“The evidence of this is in the number of cases taken before the Labor Relations Commission over the last year or two in respect of unpaid wages or holiday money that was not paid.
“Ireland’s name as a good place to work has been badly damaged by such contractors who held onto the money of their workers,” said Kilcoyne
Kilcoyne revealed that he had personally won 14 such cases in Galway, while he believed there were hundreds, if not thousands, of similar awards made countrywide against employers and in favor of non-national workers who had been short-changed.