Builders of Sochi Olympic objects go on strike against salary delays

On March 11, the builders of the dwelling district for resettlers from Imereti Lowland in Sochi began their strike. They refused to go to work until they are paid their salary debts for several months. About one hundred persons are on strike.

The "Moskonversprom" Company set up by the Mayoralty of Moscow in 2000 is building a residential district for residents of the Imereti Lowland, resettled from their homes because of the Olympiad. This company was the winner of the tender held by the "Olympstroy" against other 18 bidders by dropping the contract value by 20 percent - down to 698.2 million roubles.

Workers told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that many of them work for this company since last August. They came from different regions of Russia, including North Ossetia and Chechnya.

According to their story, they are qualified workers, work honestly and give good quality. They were promised 40,000 roubles per month. People arrived especially for earnings, but they haven't seen their money for half a year already; they are starving, get sick and make debts. Some of them got stomach ulcer because of famine and poor residence conditions. Doctors could hardly save life of one of them - worker Igor Pechorin. He came from Novosibirsk, where his wife and two children are without any subsistence means.

The workers live in cold trailers put one on top of the other, in two layers, 6 persons in a trailer, in inhuman conditions. They work in two shifts. Being brought to despair, they decided not to go to work until they get their salaries for three-four months of labour-intensive and dangerous labour. The only thing they want - to get their money and leave Sochi as soon as possible.

People say that thousands of workers have already left Sochi without salaries, having worked at Olympic objects free of charge. Workers from Chechnya addressed their Diaspora in Moscow asking to clear out the situation.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent failed to receive any comments on the issue from the persons in charge of the company. Telephones of the "Moskonversprom" give no answer.