RUSSIAN workers have threatened to commit a mass suicide from a factory roof amid an unpaid wage dispute at a major power plant.
More than 60 workers at the major power plant in the Primorsky region in the country’s east began protesting over months of unpaid wages.
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Local media outlets have reported some of the workers threatened to jump from the factory roof in protest, after repeated delays in pay and the company’s alleged refusal to correspond with complaints.
Footage has emerged from the factory – where workers are sitting in protest on the roof – with some of the most disgruntled threatening to jump to their deaths.
In images released to the public, workers can be seen standing on the ledge of the building looking down, after overnight protests in near freezing temperatures.
The protesters spent the night at the site, saying they refused to leave until they were paid in full and had a written guarantee of continued employment.
The group of mechanics, electricians and welders are responsible for running the factory, which accounts for half of the regions energy consumption.
The workers have also demanded intervention from regional labour authorities and the Ministry of Energy.
The Luchegorsk factory workers are subcontacted by SibER – the Siberian Generating Company (SGC) LLC – which owns the plant.
Relatives of the affected workers have spoken out, saying the contractor claims to be unable to pay staff due to financial problems with a client.
Residents, family and friends of the protesters have also gathered at the site in support of the workers.
The protesters also claim SibER to be poaching specialists to join the company directly while “abandoning the rest”.
One worker told Russian journalists: “They only take the people they need and abandon the rest – we’re left without pay and without work”.
The Pozharsky District Prosecutor’s Office has visited the site and launched an investigation into the wage theft.
Local authorities say the power plant’s operation has not yet been compromised.
Until 2020, the power plant was owner and run by Russian state-owned company RusHydro.
Its operation was transferred to SibER as part of the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK).
A modernization of the project started in 2022, with an approximate completion date of 2026.
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The originally estimated cost of $347,194,120 (28 billion rubles) has risen to $867,951,700 (70 billion rubles) last month, since Russian invaded Ukraine.
The company said rising labour, material, equipment costs and labour shortages were to blame for the price hike.
Once the upgrade is completed, the plant could power new energy-intensive industries and export electricity to China.
The protests come on the same day Putin announced the developement of new nuclear weapons.
He made the chilling announcement on Friday at a summit in Tajikistan, where he said an arms race was already in progress.
He said despite a joint nuclear limitation agreement with the US, Russia had continued to develop and test new-generation nuclear weapons.
How to get help
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It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
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Putin referred to the possibility of other countries carrying out a nuclear test.
He did not, however, name which nations.
Putin said there had always been a temptation to “test the effectiveness of fuel” that had been sitting stagnant in weapons for “many years”.
He went on to say that while some experts believe computer simulated testing “was sufficient”, others argued “repeat tests [were] necessary”.
“Some countries are thinking about it, as far as I know,” he said on Friday.
“They’re even preparing… That’s why I said that if they do it, we’ll do the same.”