Turkish Workers in Russia on Strike, Want their Passports Back

Around 200 Turkish workers working on Russky Island off Vladivostok, Russia, have gone on strike, demanding their unpaid wages.

The guest workers, who are working on the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) campus facilities, had told reporters earlier that currently 250 people have refused to work.

According to Interfax news agency, the strikers claim that their employer had promised them a monthly salary of $4,000 US; however, upon arriving in Russia, the contract they were offered was for $1,800 US a month. Now the company is offering the workers $300 US and a ticket back home, while not returning the workers’ passports, demanding they sign papers which state they have received their wages in full.

The guest workers also claim they are forced to starve because they have stopped issuing food stamps.

Note, Vladivostok will host the 24th Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2012, and the infrastructure of the city is being renovated and improved in preparation for the event.