Eezy cuts charges for Chinese workers at Kotka factory site
Monday 19th October 2026 on 18:30 in
Finland
Staffing company Eezy has sharply reduced meal and accommodation charges for Chinese workers at a battery-materials factory construction site in Kotka, Yle reports. The costs were previously as high as 1,600 euros a month combined and have now fallen to roughly less than 800 euros.
Workers had also been paying nearly 1,000 euros a month for meals alone. They will now receive lunch as a taxable employment benefit, while paying for breakfast and dinner themselves. Eezy and its client, Jiangsu Installation Finland, have not commented on the amounts; Yle says it has seen screenshots of a notice sent to workers.
The workers are seeking repayment of meal and accommodation costs already deducted from their wages. Unions say there is no written agreement authorising the deductions. The payments have not been returned, and the Construction Union says workers are frustrated by the slow progress.
Eezy has previously said the services were voluntary. A review commissioned by Finnish Minerals Group, a part-owner of the factory company, found that not all workers had been told the services were optional. In a message seen by Yle, Eezy argued that workers had nevertheless accepted the services by using them for an extended period.
Construction Union specialist Jussi Sakari said workers had described the food as poor quality and monotonous, and sometimes spoiled. The company responsible for arranging the services, Jiangsu Installation Finland, said it was notified of spoiled food in July and instructed the catering provider to strengthen food-safety and quality checks. It also said suppliers had been encouraged to take workers’ food preferences into account.
More than 300 Chinese workers were employed at the factory construction site during the summer. The 800-million-euro battery-materials plant is being built by Easpring Finland New Materials, which is partly owned by state company Finnish Materials Group. Trial production has been delayed and is scheduled to begin next year.