Summary
- An electrician was seriously injured in Belgium; inspectors closed their case without finding wrongdoing.
- Workers in Sweden negotiated a SEK 15 million agreement covering back pay and damages.
- The settlement does not confirm that all 78 workers have already been paid.
A five-month investigation into European data centre construction has documented allegations of unsafe electrical work, excessive working hours, withheld pay and poor accommodation affecting workers on large computing infrastructure projects.
Investigate Europe and media partners examined construction sites in several countries, including projects associated with Google in Belgium and Microsoft in Sweden. Their reporting drew on worker interviews, employment records and responses from contractors and technology companies.
At Saint-Ghislain in Belgium, a Romanian electrician suffered serious burns during work involving a 400-volt electrical system in March 2026. He disputes the circumstances of the work and the handling of the incident. Belgium’s federal labour inspectorate closed its investigation without finding wrongdoing, a conclusion that must be distinguished from the worker’s account and the injuries he sustained.
At a Microsoft data centre project near Gävle in Sweden, migrant employees of subcontractor Benbau reported crowded accommodation, inadequate heating, long working hours and disciplinary practices they considered intimidating. Journalists reviewed payslips indicating that some workers completed weeks of up to 60 hours without receiving the overtime payments they believed were due.
The Swedish union Solidariska byggare negotiated an agreement worth 15 million Swedish kronor, around €1.3 million, covering back pay and damages for 78 Romanian workers. The agreement was reached on 23 October and was due to take effect on 1 November. A negotiated settlement is not proof that all money has already been paid to individual workers.
Contracting chains complicate oversight
Documents obtained from Sweden’s work environment authority identified 148 subcontractors on the Gävle development, including 28 directly engaged by the principal contractor. Other companies operated further down the contracting chain, creating multiple interfaces between site management, employment contracts and day-to-day supervision.
Specialist construction work is intrinsic to data centre delivery. Civil engineering contractors prepare land and foundations, while electrical teams install power distribution equipment, cabling and switchgear. Mechanical contractors work on cooling systems and other critical plant before commissioning specialists test the completed installation.
Those activities often overlap, particularly on large projects with staged construction programmes. Site safety depends on coordinating access, isolating equipment, maintaining clear responsibility for permits and ensuring workers are competent for the tasks they undertake.
Electrical installation and testing carry particular hazards as new systems approach energisation. Safe isolation arrangements, appropriate supervision and agreed procedures are essential when multiple organisations work in the same plant areas. The Belgian incident provides a concrete example of the potential severity of an electrical injury, although investigators did not establish wrongdoing in that case.
Worker welfare and employment arrangements introduce additional obligations. Individuals recruited across borders may depend on agencies or subcontractors for wages, transport and accommodation, making it harder to challenge poor conditions if responsibility is dispersed.
Technology companies and contractors cited in the investigation have said they require safe conditions and respect for employment rights. Benbau confirmed the Swedish collective agreement and said it took worker welfare seriously. The principal contractor stated that the allegations did not reflect its standards, while the journalists said they found no evidence that it knew of the disputed wage deductions.
Enforcement and delivery
Unions in several European countries reported difficulties obtaining access to construction sites to speak with workers. Contractors have defended security arrangements and stated that access is governed by established procedures. Those positions form part of an unresolved wider debate about employment oversight at highly secured infrastructure projects.
The European Commission has been considering stronger rules concerning employment responsibility within subcontracting chains. Any changes would need to work alongside national construction safety law, labour inspection powers and contractual obligations already applicable to site operators.
The cases also reveal a commercial dependency often absent from discussions focused on planned megawatts and equipment deliveries. Complex installations rely on trained workers remaining available throughout construction and commissioning. Disputes over payment, inadequate supervision or unsafe conditions can interrupt those programmes as well as harm individuals.
The investigation’s findings must be considered individually. Allegations are not equivalent to legal determinations, and settlements can resolve disputes without proving every claimed breach. The documented incidents nevertheless provide specific evidence for examining how developers and main contractors oversee the conditions experienced by subcontracted workers.
Further action by labour authorities, courts and the companies involved will determine the outcome of remaining disputes. The immediate findings concern workplace safety, employment protection and the practical management of the contracting chains building Europe’s computing infrastructure.
