TOMSK, Russia -- The authorities in Russia's Tomsk Oblast have loaned money to the owner of the Tomsk ball-bearing factory to pay workers' overdue wages, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The oblast authorities in the Siberian region met on September 21 with 20 workers at the factory who launched a hunger strike the previous day. The workers say they have not been paid for over 18 months.
The factory's management, which owes its employees a total of 42 million rubles ($1.36 million), had to send 700 workers on unpaid leave as of September 1.
Local officials also met with the hunger strikers on September 21, and their unpaid salaries (130,000 rubles, or $4,200 each) were paid the next day.
The local government has loaned the factory's owner, Sergei Magazov, 50 million rubles ($1.6 million) to pay his debts to the workforce.
The rest of the workers have been assured they will receive their overdue wages by October 1.
The oblast authorities in the Siberian region met on September 21 with 20 workers at the factory who launched a hunger strike the previous day. The workers say they have not been paid for over 18 months.
The factory's management, which owes its employees a total of 42 million rubles ($1.36 million), had to send 700 workers on unpaid leave as of September 1.
Local officials also met with the hunger strikers on September 21, and their unpaid salaries (130,000 rubles, or $4,200 each) were paid the next day.
The local government has loaned the factory's owner, Sergei Magazov, 50 million rubles ($1.6 million) to pay his debts to the workforce.
The rest of the workers have been assured they will receive their overdue wages by October 1.
