Russia World Cup 2018 Workers Threaten to Sue over Unpaid Wages

Workers at one of the major venues for Russia’s 2018 World Cup are threatening legal action after claims they have not been paid for months.  

That’s according to Alec Luhn of the Guardian, who notes that 50 labourers who have been working on the Zenit arena, which is set to become one of the most expensive sports venues in the world, have not received payment for several months. Subsequently, they are set to sue their subcontractors for 14 million roubles (£140,000) in back pay.

“Everyone has hold-ups now. I haven’t gotten my wages for the third month in a row,” said one 47-year-old worker from Uzbekistan quoted in the piece. “We’re taking out credit from relatives and friends in St Petersburg to send home money for our family and kids.”

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Luhn also notes the Guardian spoke with 15 workers on the ground near the Zenit arena, and six revealed they had delays with their wages which date back longer than a month.

According to Luhn, the workers also spoke of “poor work conditions and inconsistent safety standards.” It’s also reported “at least five” individuals working at the site have been killed in accidents since 2011.

Luhn goes on to elaborate on the conditions the workers have to cope with:

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Workers live in wagons or dormitories at the site, with up to 40 men sharing one toilet and shower, according to a foreman.

Although the labourers cook on hot plates or small stoves, several said there was no fire extinguishers or alarms in the wagons and dormitory rooms where they lived. Some workers said they were required to wear helmets and had to sign safety documentation, while others complained they weren’t given uniforms or offered these documents to sign.

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There have been continued problems with the stadium being built in Saint Petersburg. It was scheduled to open in 2009, but issues with delays, costs and corruption have pushed the inception date back until the spring of 2016.

Transstroy, who are the main general contractor for the site, have claimed that “all its employees were paid on time and that the construction site met necessary safety requirements.” Luhn notes there are some other companies who deploy subcontractors onsite.

There have been similar allegations made by workers who are helping build stadiums for the Qatar World Cup in 2022. As noted by Stephen Fottrell of the BBC, some labourers were paid much less than they were promised, and the conditions in which they live have been dubbed "pathetic" and “oppressive."

In Qatar, there have been reports of substantial loss of life, with an estimated 1,200 deaths due to accidents in association with building stadiums for the tournament, per Wesley Stephenson of the BBC. However, this figure has been disputed by a Qatari government official as "altogether untrue," per German outlet SID (h/t Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC).