Police investigate treatment of Chinese workers at Kotka battery materials factory
The Helsinki Police Department is investigating working conditions of Chinese workers at the Kotka battery materials factory construction site. Yle.fi has reported serious problems, including illegal employment contracts and unpaid wages.
Police launch preliminary investigation into treatment of Chinese workers at Kotka battery factory
The Helsinki Police Department has launched a preliminary investigation into the conditions of Chinese workers at the battery materials factory construction site being built at Keltakallion in Kotka, as reported by yle.fi. Police have visited the work site at least in the past week.
Yle has reported serious problems during the summer and autumn: a Chinese subcontractor has required workers to sign employment contracts that violate Finnish legislation, wages have gone unpaid and substantial sums have been withheld from wages for accommodation and food costs. Additionally, workers have been threatened and pressured.
The factory is being built by Easpring Finland New Materials, whose ownership includes a stake held by the Finnish state-owned Finnish Minerals Group. An investigation commissioned by FMG also uncovered substantial problems at the work site. The majority of the company is owned by Chinese firm Beijing Easpring.
During the summer, the work site has had over a thousand workers on any given day, more than 300 of whom are Chinese. Both the Construction Union and the Industrial Union are also investigating problems at the work site.
Source: Google News FI — Crime (fi)