Over 700 Construction Workers Left Abandoned and Unpaid in Isolated Chukotka Community

At least 700 construction workers have been left stranded and unpaid for several months in a remote town located in Chukotka, Russia’s Far East, according to reports from media on Thursday.

Zemtek, which provides services to the mining industry, ceased wage payments for about 1,100 of its staff in March, as stated by labor rights advocate Natalia Demenko to the exiled news platform Govorit NeMoskva.

The report indicated that some workers who refused to keep working without pay went without food for over 36 hours.

Eventually, approximately 400 of these rotational workers were airlifted from the isolated town of Bilibino to Magadan, nearly 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) away, after Demenko reached out to law enforcement about their dire situation. Some workers reportedly took out loans to afford tickets to Magadan.

Rotational workers are typically employed in distant locations and flown in temporarily rather than being permanently relocated with their families.

Currently, 700 workers remain trapped in Bilibino, and according to Demenko, Zemtek unexpectedly canceled their planned evacuation flights this week without providing any explanation.

Earlier this month, the stranded workers released a video message urging President Vladimir Putin to assist with their return home, stating, “We are being held here against our will.”

Zemtek, which was established by CEO Sergei Andrianov in 2015, has reportedly committed to settling the outstanding wages by May 30.