‘I’m not going to apologise’: chief of Yekaterinburg plant tells striking workers Russia’s ‘special operation’ in Ukraine is to blame for their unpaid wages

Director General of the Ural Compressor Plant (located in Russia’s Yekaterinburg) Denis Tasakov told the workers of the plant that they had not been paid their wages due to the “special operation” in Ukraine. He called on the striking workers to “be understanding” of the situation. Tasakov is quoted by local news website EAN.

“I want everyone to come to their senses. I don’t want to apologise to anyone, because everyone should be understanding of the situation.

he said.

According to the head of the plant, the workers were not paid their wages for April and May due to the fact that many of the plant’s partner enterprises were hit with sanctions. These organisations keep their money “in special accounts in banks that are under sanctions.” The ruble exchange rate affects the situation too, Tasakov added.

he added.

Employees of the Ural Compressor Plant went on strike in early June. “We refuse to go to work until we are paid the wages they owe us. The delays started in January 2022, after the stockholders had changed. The plant is falling apart,” one of the workers told local news outlet E1.

Earlier, the Russian Investigative Committee launched criminal proceedings over the non-payment of wages to the plant’s workers. According to the prosecution, up to 300 workers were left without payment, with the plant owing them over 20 mln rubles (over €355,700).