It was during the time that the battery factory in Skellefteå was built, in 2021, that 12 people from abroad worked for subcontractors to Northvolt. The persons did not have valid work permits.
During a tour, the trade union Byggnads discovered a number of Indian workers who were missing from the system.
"We were very suspicious that they didn't have the papers in order. We have pointed this out to Northvolt several times, but it was never taken seriously," says Pierre Klingstedt, Ombudsman of Byggnads.
During a raid by the police on Northvolt, the people at the company were also found.
"Participated actively in the investigation"
The accused person and Northvolt deny any wrongdoing.
– Since the construction industry has structural problems with rogue actors, we have worked continuously together with trade unions and relevant authorities to keep rogue actors away from the construction site, and also participated actively in this investigation to report our own reviews and revise whether there are areas for improvement in our own control processes, writes Anders Thor, Head of Communications at Northvolt, in an email to SVT.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority wants Northvolt to pay a fee of SEK 618,000 for violating the Aliens Act.
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The tours around Northvolt in Skellefteå – in 60 seconds Photo: TT