A report clears the Albanian company Tekno Fire, but the Danish Road Directorate maintains the suspension of Tekno Fire on the Storstrøms Bridge project. A researcher describes the exoneration as a “partisan statement.”
There is “nothing to pursue.” A report investigating whether employees of the Albanian company Tekno Fire were forced to repay parts of their wages, as alleged in DR’s documentary ‘På statens regning’ (On the State’s Dime), has exonerated the company.
FemernReport has obtained the document outlining the findings of the Littler law firm, which was hired by the Italian main contractor Itinera to investigate the allegations. In late November, 270 Tekno Fire employees were sent home and suspended following revelations from the documentary.
In addition to the Storstrøms Bridge—a key preparatory project for the Fehmarn Belt connection—Tekno Fire has also been involved in hospital construction projects in Køge and Odense, both also under Itinera’s management.
The investigation included employee surveys focusing on wages, discrimination, and working conditions. These were followed by interviews with five randomly selected employees, including two who had given divergent answers in the survey. Littler also reviewed a loan agreement between Tekno Fire and an employee, which was deemed a private arrangement unrelated to employment terms in Denmark.
Littler concluded that there was no evidence of coercion or illegal wage repayments.
The Danish Road Directorate Remains Unmoved
Despite Littler’s findings, the Danish Road Directorate, the client for the Storstrøms Bridge project, rejects the exoneration and maintains that Tekno Fire is not welcome on the construction site.
– Itinera’s investigation of Tekno Fire has not changed the Danish Road Directorate’s position, and therefore Tekno Fire remains unwelcome on our construction site.
The Directorate also stated that Tekno Fire’s absence will not affect the construction progress on the Storstrøms Bridge. The suspension impacts 15 employees who were performing electrical installation work.
“It’s a Bit Worrying”
Jens Arnholtz, a labor market researcher at FAOS at the University of Copenhagen, emphasized that there are many ways to investigate wage and working conditions. However, uncovering wage fraud or unreported workplace accidents often requires significant time and resources.
– A survey is not necessarily the most appropriate way to investigate such matters. It may be that there is nothing to pursue in this case, but it is a bit worrying that no issues were found at all, given that there have been previous cases, said Arnholtz, who does not have direct knowledge of the Tekno Fire and Itinera case but has reviewed the report.
He added that employees might have “sensed” what answers were expected to avoid trouble with management.
– If the surveys had shown smaller issues, it would have seemed more realistic, he said.
Arnholtz explained that on one side is a journalistic documentary painting a dramatic picture, and on the other is a company claiming that everything is in order. In the middle stands a government authority.
– The Danish Road Directorate can’t do much with the report. It’s a partisan statement. If they want to be certain about what is happening in a company, they need to initiate something more thorough.”
Employees Back at Work, More Investigations Launched
Tekno Fire employees have returned to work on hospital construction projects in Køge and Odense. Meanwhile, Region Southern Denmark has launched an independent investigation into the case.
Itinera states that they have informed the three clients about the results and continued their collaboration with Tekno Fire.
– Itinera has no choice, as the company has done nothing wrong. If we terminate the contract without evidence, we would have to pay compensation. That is not something we want to do. Itinera has handed over the investigation to the police at the same time the clients were informed.
