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This stomach-churning footage was filmed by a construction worker who took drastic measures after he wasn't paid.

As the viral clip shows he took the desperate step of sewing his mouth shut with wire in a bid to be noticed by his employers who he said were treating him "like a slave".

Victor Larshin, 38, filmed himself staging the bizarre stunt in the city of Omsk in central Russia.

He hardly flinches as he repeatedly pushes the needle through his lips and pulls the wire through behind it while sitting in front of a mirror.

A friend helps him with the final few stitches as he sat back and ignored the pain.

(Image: CEN)

Mr Larshin also went on a hunger strike in his dispute after he and 36 co-workers were not paid since February.

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And his painful protest paid off.

The company finally turned up with money to pay all of the workers what they were owed.

Mr Larshin said: "They treated us like slaves.

"Despite spending two months at a construction site working for a federal project, I have not been paid a thing.

"In fact I actually owe money to the sub-contractor, as we were supposedly given an advance but I never received that either."

The men were building an oil refinery near the Siberian city of Tobolsk.

(Image: CEN)

Mr Larshin also complained that other workers on the same project were being well paid and receiving their money on time.

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He said: "There are a lot of Turkish people working there, they get 120,000 RUB [equivalent to £1,200] with their travel, accommodation and food all covered.

"My question is why did they treat them better than us?"

Local prosecutor Olga Stepovaya is now investigating and is trying to get to the bottom of the dispute.

Even though the company has now paid the missing wages, it had still committed an offence by withholding the money for two months, she said.

Ms Stepovaya said: "We have been told that representatives of the company visited all the staff who were working for them and paid off their debts."