“Worker's selfies show mushroom farm clock-in records 'false', WRC told”

A migrant farm labourer who has claimed that he was not paid properly for long hours picking mushrooms has selfies showing himself at work when his former employer's records say he was not in, a tribunal has been told.

The worker, Sruh Ak, is pursuing claims of underpayment and working hours breaches under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 and the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 against his former employer, Tiernaneill Mushrooms Ltd.

The Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI) advocate has argued Mr Ak's hours were underdeclared to the extent that he was paid less than the minimum wage at times - a position denied by the Co Monaghan-based grower…

Mr Ak, a Cambodian national, started work for the firm in August 2022 after being recruited by a local agent in his home country, paying €4,000 there in the process of securing a work permit…

The company’s legal representative, Peter Dunlea of human resources consultancy Peninsula Business Services, said Mr Ak's wages were paid on the basis of a "pick rate" and could vary from hour to hour…