A Russian contractor has failed to pay hundreds of Uzbek workers, leaving an outstanding debt of 2.9 billion sums unpaid.

LLC "ZUMK-Engineering," a Russian company that served as the general contractor for the construction of the "Dehkanabad Potash" plant in the Kashkadarya region, has accrued significant debts to the hired workers from Uzbekistan. This situation arises despite the fact that the Uzbek side has fulfilled its financial obligations on time. This information was reported by JSC "Uzkimyosanoat."

https://uzdaily.uz/ru/rossiiskii-podriadchik-ostavil-bez-zarplaty-sotni-rabochikh-iz-uzbekistana-dolg-29-mlrd-sumov-ostaiotsia-nevyplachennym/2025-01-11 08:47:11

According to JSC "Uzkimyosanot," the contract with LLC "ZUMK-Engineering" was supposed to complete the construction of the mining and processing complex and hand over the facility for operation back in December 2014.

However, the Russian company faced serious financial issues, failed to finish the construction, and accrued a significant debt in unpaid wages to its employees.

In 2018, the Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation declared the company bankrupt, which greatly complicated the repayment of debts owed to 279 workers from Uzbekistan, as highlighted by the company "Uzkimyosanot."

As of today, the amount of unpaid wages stands at 2.9 billion sums, and the case continues to be reviewed by the Arbitration Court of the Perm Territory.

To expedite the recovery process, in 2023, the enterprise "Dehkanabad Kali" engaged the international law firm White & Case, which has already secured the payment of 650 million sums. This money was distributed among 205 affected workers.

JSC "Uzkimyosanot" notes that on January 10, 2025, former employees of "ZUMK-Engineering" again approached the plant's management requesting assistance in obtaining the remaining payments.

In response, the chairman of the board of "Dehkanabad Kali" held a meeting where he provided a detailed explanation of the current state of the legal proceedings and assured that the process is nearing completion.

The plant management expressed its readiness to continue supporting the affected employees and to take all possible measures to ensure the final recovery of the outstanding debt.