Europe: Migrant datacentre workers allegedly subjected to electrocutions, "squalid" living conditions & wage theft; incl. co. comments
MPF/Canvas
In October 2026, a joint investigation by Investigate Europe and The Guardian found human rights violations impacting migrant workers at data centres across Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The investigation found evidence of debilitating injuries, "squalid" living conditions, an infectious disease outbreak, and unpaid wages.
For example, the article describes the electrocution of an electrical tester working at a Google data centre in Saint-Ghislain, Belgium. The worker, who was employed by a subcontractor of the Irish company Dornan Engineering, reportedly suffered second- and third-degree burns to his face, neck, shoulder, and fingers after being electrocuted while testing electrical wiring. No company or contractor has been found liable for the accident, and a local labour inspectorate found no wrongdoing.
The article also says that a worker at a Microsoft data centre in Sweden reported crowded living quarters, vermin infestations, broken ventilation systems, and lack of heating during sub-zero winters. In February, one Romanian worker at the facility reportedly tested positive for active tuberculosis, and others living in the same shared housing showed similar symptoms. The workers were employed by BenBau, a subcontractor of Collen Construction. BenBau allegedly only informed a few men who shared close quarters with the infected worker and told them that testing was optional.
The allegations come as Europe experiences a data centre boom, with more than 2,300 data centres rapidly altering the physical and energy landscape of the continent. The article highlights unions' claims that the push for tech sovereignty in Europe is increasingly reliant on the exploitation of migrants.
All companies responded to the journalists; their responses can be read in the article.