Russian Authorities Scam Workers By Offering Higher Salary In Ukraine, Fail To Pay Them

A woman stands near a residential building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 12, 2022. Reuters / ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO

KEY POINTS

Russian workers were brought to occupied territories in Ukraine
They were promised double the wages they would have received for similar work back home
Ukrainian government officials said Russian authorities have not paid the workers, who are now working without contracts

Russian authorities in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol brought workers from Russia to the city with the promise of higher salaries, but these workers have yet to be paid for their services and now feel that they have been "conned," according to the Ukrainian government.

Bricklayers, decorators and electrical engineers from St. Petersburg, Russia, who moved to Mariupol were promised double the wages they would have received for similar work back home, the Mariupol City Council said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Local residents are not being offered these jobs, and the majority of them are now unemployed, according to the council. Meanwhile, those who were able to secure a job have allegedly not been paid for their work.

The workers that Russian authorities brought in to work in the occupied cities are now in the same situation, with some complaining of being "conned" in video messages, according to the Mariupol City Council.

"They are working without contracts, and now they are not even being paid wages," the council claimed.

Employees of the Mariupol Vodokanal, the municipal water supply service, refused to work Wednesday because they were not given their salaries.

"The workers refused to go to work and started demanding the promised salary. The occupiers miscalculated - they got used to the slave mentality of the Russians. But the people of Mariupol have dignity and are used to respect for their work! Because in Mariupol, Ukraine, they received regular and high wages for their work for the benefit of the city. Cynicism and disrespect will not pass!" the city council wrote in an earlier Telegram post.

Nearly 5 million jobs have been lost in Ukraine since Russia began its invasion of the country on Feb. 24, according to an analysis by the International Labor Organization (ILO) released in May.

Millions fled to Ukraine's neighbors, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, following the unprovoked attack, and an estimated 1.2 million among them were working prior to the invasion, according to the agency.

The continuation of Russia's hostilities in Ukraine may force refugees to stay in exile longer, "creating further pressure on the labor market and social protection systems in neighboring countries," the ILO said.