Ukrainian workers employed by subcontractor companies at Turku's shipyard say they have not been paid a significant amount of wages they are due.
An investigation by Finnish news agency STT has uncovered evidence that the Ukrainians were pressured into working on weekends, at night, and in shifts that lasted longer than eight hours — sometimes up to 14 hours.
However, when they received their wages, the pay did not include any of this extra working time.
In addition to being underpaid, the workers told STT that they have been transferred between different subcontracting companies without being asked or notified.
STT was unable to reach a spokesperson from the subcontractors for comment, but noted that most of the firms are Estonian.
The shipyard operator, Meyer Turku, told STT that it is aware of the matter, but did not wish to comment on whether the Ukrainian workers were underpaid for work carried out at the facility.
In a statement, the Industrial Union said that the experiences of the Ukrainian workers as reported by STT are just the "tip of the iceberg", adding that cruise ships are being built in Finland under "shady conditions".
"The responsibility lies with Meyer Turku, which can no longer turn a blind eye," the union's vice-chair Turja Lehtonen wrote in the statement. "The company has avoided the problems for too long, even though issues in the subcontracting chains have been reported time and again. This must now stop."
Article updated at 11:32 on 27.9.2025 to include the union's statement.
