Workers at the Red October factory in the southern Russian city of Volgograd have raised the alarm over mass layoffs and salary delays in the run-up to this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Special laws passed for the World Cup stipulate that factories that pose a potential safety risk in host cities be temporarily shut down for the duration of the tournament.
The Red October factory produces steel for the T-14 Armata tank, Russia’s first new main battle tank since the fall of the Soviet Union.
“The current situation at the enterprise is catastrophic and may lead to a total shutdown,” the factory’s union wrote in a letter addressed to President Vladimir Putin, according to a copy of the letter carried by the RBC business portal.
As many as 3,000 workers have been temporarily laid off because of the new measures, RBC reported.
The factory workers plan to stage a protest in Volgograd on June 18, the day of the first World Cup match scheduled in the city, between England and Tunisia.
