Eriell Workers Demand Unpaid Wages and Compensation for Four-Month Delay
Employees of Eriell, a company providing drilling and capital repair services to the oil and gas sector, have faced significant challenges as they have not received their salaries for four months. The situation has prompted workers to create a video appeal, calling for not only their overdue wages but also compensation for the delay as outlined in the Labor Code.
In the video circulating on social media, employees of Eriell directly addressed the president, highlighting their plight and emphasizing their constitutional rights to receive timely payments for their work. They pointed out that under Article 333 of the new Labor Code, employers are obligated to pay a 10% compensation for delayed salaries and other payments.
The workers, who are part of Eriell’s Ustyurt project, expressed their frustration at the unfairness of not being able to receive their wages despite working diligently in their own homeland. They urged the president to intervene and ensure that justice is restored, allowing them to celebrate the holidays with their long-awaited salaries.
An Eriell employee disclosed that the salary issue extends beyond the Ustyurt project, affecting employees across all Eriell projects except for those working on the Kandym project. It was mentioned that Lukoil, the company overseeing the Kandym project, had enforced a condition that halted new wells until salaries were paid, resulting in only Kandym project workers receiving their wages up to September.
The ongoing salary delays at Eriell are not isolated incidents, as similar complaints have arisen from Enter Engineering, another company linked to Eriell. Employees from Enter Engineering’s management office and teachers at the Samarkand International University of Technology, which is affiliated with the company, have also reported months of unpaid salaries.
The situation has raised concerns among employees that further delays may occur following a technogenic disaster at the “25th Anniversary of Independence” mine project in September. Both Eriell and Enter Engineering were involved in the project, with fears that the aftermath of the disaster could lead to additional challenges in receiving salaries.
The beneficial owner of Eriell and Enter Engineering, Uzbek entrepreneur Bakhtiyor Fozilov, manages his business activities through the Enera Group of Companies. The group is also overseeing the expansion project of the country’s largest gas storage facility, adding an additional layer of complexity to the ongoing salary issues faced by employees of Eriell and affiliated companies.
