The case in summary: Several foreign craftsmen in Norway are exploited and live in degrading conditions, according to the organization Fair Play Bygg. Sergiu Tincaburov says he worked as a craftsman in Norway for three months without receiving a salary. He has reported his former employer, a 42-year-old Lithuanian involved in 21 bankruptcies in Norway. Fair Play Bygg requires an “exit strategy” for workers who are seriously exploited, and has discussed this with the government. The government has sent out a proposal for consultation in which they are considering increased penalties for people who grossly exploit foreign labour. The 42-year-old, who was one of Sergius’ two bosses in Norway, is now charged by the East police district. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – They have lived under conditions that are right on the verge of being called modern slavery. These are undignified conditions, says general manager Lars Mamen of Fair Play Bygg Oslo and surroundings. At the weekend, news told the story of Sergiu Tincaburov (36), who moved to Norway after getting a job as a craftsman. He said that he and several workmates worked for three months, but barely got paid. They reported to the police, who have now started an investigation against a 42-year-old Lithuanian who has been involved in 21 bankruptcies in Norway. Requires exit strategy Tincaburov is a key witness in the case. But taking up the fight against his former bosses has cost a lot. He was left with nowhere to live when he had to move from the place he rented through his employer. He has received help from, among others, Fair Play Bygg and the Church’s Bygg Mission, but has gone months without pay, and ended up incurring debt. Sergiu Tincaburov thought he had got a good job in Norway. But for the first time in his life, the 36-year-old became broke, hungry and homeless. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / JOHN-ANDRE SAMUELSEN For Mamen, it is a puzzle that it is so demanding to take up the fight against the employer. – The authorities must come up with some kind of exit strategy for workers who are seriously exploited. There must be a device that can take care of workers who are exposed to this, he says. Lars Mamen, general manager of Fair Play Bygg Oslo and surroundings. Photo: Nadir Alam / news A similar program exists for people who are exposed to human trafficking, but does not include people in the construction industry like Sergiu. Recently, they met with representatives from the government to discuss such a proposal. State Secretary Per Olav Skurdal Hopsø in the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion shares the concern that workers are being exploited. That is why the government sent out a proposal for consultation on Wednesday in which, among other things, they are considering increased penalties for people who grossly exploit foreign labour. However, Hopsø believes that work must be done in several areas in parallel to solve the problems, and says that the government will also look into the proposal for Fair Play Bygg – We want to look further into what can be done to help people who are exploited, says Hopsø . 42-year-old charged Two years have passed since the law against wage theft was introduced. news’s survey shows that 90 per cent of the cases have been dropped. Now, however, the Eastern police district has charged the 42-year-old who was one of Sergius’ two bosses in Norway. Tincaburov himself noted down how many hours he worked each day. He says the salary was not paid. Photo: Private Police Attorney Jan Schei makes no secret of the fact that the testimony from the Moldovan workers is important to the police. – The employees have given good reasons for their review. They have contracts and information which means that we believe there is a basis for starting the investigation, says Schei. For now, it is too early to say whether the case will end up in court. The 42-year-old has received a number of questions from news, but does not want to answer. Fears evidence is disappearing At Fair Play Bygg, they are happy that the police have taken up the case, but are worried that there are many people like Tincaburov. It came out both in this weekend’s report by news and when TV 2’s “Norge bak fasaden” examined the construction industry at the weekend. According to Mamen, it is common for workers who are sitting on potentially important evidence to disappear. – The employer is interested in the employee disappearing from the country. Because then a central part of the information disappears if there is a police case out of the country.
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Requires an exit strategy in the construction industry – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio
