Foreign workers’ wage complaints overwhelm northern building union

Foreign construction workers’ complaints about their pay are overwhelming the union in Norrbotten, its regional chair says, as major industrial projects expand in northern Sweden.

Claes Danell, who heads Byggnads in Norrbotten, told Sveriges Radio on Sunday that the union was struggling to handle cases from foreign members who believed they were not receiving the correct wages.

Danell argues that unions and their members are being left with too much responsibility for tackling crime and abuses on construction sites. His warning concerns both workers seeking help with pay and the union’s capacity to take on their cases.

The report does not give a total for the wage complaints or establish how many have resulted in confirmed breaches. Danell is calling attention to the burden of enforcing workers’ rights as investment brings more construction to the north.

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