Did the Chinese work 'like slaves' on the Pelješko Bridge: 'After 12 hours they were too tired to eat, let alone go out...'

The story published by Deutsche Welle, which states that the Chinese workers employed at the construction site of the Pelješki Bridge, worked in extremely bad conditions that, we quote, resembled those of slaves. There were accusations that the foreign workers were paid less than their local colleagues, but also that they were not allowed to leave the camp where they were housed.

In an interview with journalist Srećko Matić, Greens EU representative Daniel Freund said that there are indications that the working conditions on the bridge "resembled those of slaves" and that these workers were not able to leave their camps and that they were paid less than their colleagues from Croatian. This could be especially problematic if we take into account that the construction of the Pelješki bridge was one of the largest projects for which funds came from the EU, which is why this problem could cross the borders of Lijepa naša.

- Regarding the Pelješki bridge construction project, which was realized by a Chinese state concern, there are serious indications that the working conditions for the Chinese workers on the spot resembled those of slaves, there are indications that they were partly not allowed to leave their camps, that they were not paid for tariffs by which people are paid in that sector in Croatia. With construction projects financed by the European Union, it must not happen that the law and laws are not respected - said Freund.

As he says, he believes that the Croatian authorities turned a blind eye to this issue in order to speed up the construction of the bridge.

- The Croatian authorities are obliged to respect the laws in force on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. And that means Croatian law, but also the law valid in the European Union. Nowhere in the European Union is it allowed to prohibit construction workers from leaving the camp where they are placed. I can only assume that the Croatian authorities may have turned a blind eye on this issue. It was about Chinese citizens working for a Chinese state-owned company on EU soil. But it cannot be that a parallel world is created for them on the soil of an EU member state, a world in which Croatian law no longer applies. And that's only because they want to build a bridge quickly and cheaply. This is where the EU had to check more thoroughly whether labor law, rights in the social welfare system are really respected, and whether human rights are ultimately respected - Freund believes.

However, throwing stones without first checking for sin makes no sense, writes Slobodna Dalmacija.
In several different reports published by the Croatian media, the Chinese workers who lived in the area were characterized as withdrawn people who did not spend much time with the local population, and this was probably largely caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, earlier reports from 2019 mention somewhat stronger integration, so they cheered at the local derby and even expressed their loyalty to the "Plavoj makinji" from Opuzen.

As far as I know, that is not true. I don't know where they get such stories because I haven't noticed it personally. I know that the vast majority were accommodated in apartment accommodation in Komarna. You must know, people changed, there were shifts of workers. I wouldn't say it was inappropriate - said one of the Croatian experts who worked on this impressive project, who does not want to be named in the media because, as he says, he does not know much about this domain of their work.

Domagoj Ferdebar from the Construction Union of Croatia has knowledge from the field, who was familiar with the working conditions at the Pelješko bridge construction site from the beginning.

- There is no point in commenting on someone's statements because everyone can say anything. SGH regularly monitored that project as well as many other infrastructure projects, and we immediately prepared ourselves as soon as we found out that the Chinese company was going to build the bridge. Our goal was to implement the minimum standard from the collective agreement in Croatia - said Ferderbar, who added that the union's long-term goal is that every construction company in the Republic of Croatia applies these rules, emphasizing in particular the improvement of workers' rights and wages and working hours, two things where workers in the construction sector are often injured.

SGH took the first step in contacting the Chinese CRBC.

We contacted them when we heard that they posted job ads and gave them information about what and how to work in Croatia. They regularly received advice and information from us about what they had to apply in terms of salaries, allowances and the like. They accepted it and respected the set minimum. We also agreed to occasionally come to the construction site, but we did not have constant contact with the workers because they were usually on the poles. From our side, it was our part that we could do. We knew that their working conditions are not standard for Croatia, but they are not alone. We also have a large number of domestic small companies that work in a similar way - he said and added that he heard from the State Inspectorate that there were some problems regarding the registration of workers.

They also considered it a positive development that by reviewing the payrolls, they could determine that they paid wages in accordance with the minimum standard. He has a ready answer to accusations that Chinese workers were paid less than their Croatian colleagues.

- Croatian workers may have had higher salaries, but we must take into account that there were no Croatian construction workers. Someone in Zagreb who worked in finance certainly earned more, and there were also technical staff from Croatia on the bridge, who were initially paid more. Chinese engineers were probably paid more - says Ferdebar, adding that it is good that someone reacted. The only thing he disagrees with is that he waited until the bridge was opened.

- There is a possibility that some things were covered up in order to make the company look good in the eyes of the EU - he concludes.

Regarding accommodation, he says that in the construction world there is a story that Chinese companies "have 150 beds for 300 workers", but he also notes that the team from the Trade Union visited the construction site several times, where a good number of beds in containers were found, which are also used all over the world. used to house construction workers. He has two opinions about the thesis that they were not allowed to leave the camp.

- It is not impossible, but from experience with other workers we know for sure that after 12 hours of work they are too tired to eat, let alone socialize and go out - notes Ferdebar, according to whom the most controversial part of this story could be the one with the number of hours worked, i.e. with a large amount of overtime hours.

As he tells Slobodna Dalmacija, the workers must have worked more hours than is the norm, and he has information that it is 10-12 hours a day.