diff --git a/assembly/assembly-wsmaster-war/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/classes/codenvy/che.properties b/assembly/assembly-wsmaster-war/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/classes/codenvy/che.properties
index 08191874076..e7498b40516 100644
--- a/assembly/assembly-wsmaster-war/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/classes/codenvy/che.properties
+++ b/assembly/assembly-wsmaster-war/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/classes/codenvy/che.properties
@@ -324,6 +324,14 @@ che.openshift.secure.routes=false
 che.openshift.jobs.image=centos:centos7
 che.openshift.jobs.memorylimit=250Mi
 
+# Run job to create workspace subpath directories in persistent volume before launching workspace.
+# Necessary in some versions of OpenShift/Kubernetes as workspace subpath volumemounts are created
+# with root permissions, and thus cannot be modified by workspaces running as user (presents as error
+# importing projects into workspace in Che). Default is "true", but should be set to false if version
+# of Openshift/Kubernetes creates subdirectories with user permissions.
+# Relevant issue: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/41638
+che.openshift.precreate.workspace.dirs=true
+
 # Specifications of compute resources that can be consumed
 # by the workspace container:
 #
diff --git a/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnector.java b/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnector.java
index fc9bd5df51b..06cc96f9fdf 100644
--- a/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnector.java
+++ b/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/main/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnector.java
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ public class OpenShiftConnector extends DockerConnector {
     private final String          cheWorkspaceMemoryLimit;
     private final String          cheWorkspaceMemoryRequest;
     private final boolean         secureRoutes;
+    private final boolean         createWorkspaceDirs;
     private final OpenShiftPvcHelper openShiftPvcHelper;
 
     @Inject
@@ -212,7 +213,8 @@ public OpenShiftConnector(DockerConnectorConfiguration connectorConfiguration,
                               @Named("che.workspace.projects.storage") String cheWorkspaceProjectsStorage,
                               @Nullable @Named("che.openshift.workspace.memory.request") String cheWorkspaceMemoryRequest,
                               @Nullable @Named("che.openshift.workspace.memory.override") String cheWorkspaceMemoryLimit,
-                              @Named("che.openshift.secure.routes") boolean secureRoutes) {
+                              @Named("che.openshift.secure.routes") boolean secureRoutes,
+                              @Named("che.openshift.precreate.workspace.dirs") boolean createWorkspaceDirs) {
 
         super(connectorConfiguration, connectionFactory, authResolver, dockerApiVersionPathPrefixProvider);
         this.cheServerExternalAddress = cheServerExternalAddress;
@@ -226,6 +228,7 @@ public OpenShiftConnector(DockerConnectorConfiguration connectorConfiguration,
         this.cheWorkspaceMemoryRequest = cheWorkspaceMemoryRequest;
         this.cheWorkspaceMemoryLimit = cheWorkspaceMemoryLimit;
         this.secureRoutes = secureRoutes;
+        this.createWorkspaceDirs = createWorkspaceDirs;
         this.openShiftPvcHelper = openShiftPvcHelper;
         eventService.subscribe(new EventSubscriber<ServerIdleEvent>() {
 
@@ -1142,7 +1145,9 @@ private String createOpenShiftDeployment(String workspaceID,
 
         LOG.info("Adding container {} to OpenShift deployment {}", sanitizedContainerName, deploymentName);
 
-        createWorkspaceDir(volumes);
+        if (createWorkspaceDirs) {
+            createWorkspaceDir(volumes);
+        }
 
         Container container = new ContainerBuilder()
                                     .withName(sanitizedContainerName)
diff --git a/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/test/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnectorTest.java b/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/test/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnectorTest.java
index 3a789f4d1a4..e3776e32462 100644
--- a/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/test/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnectorTest.java
+++ b/plugins/plugin-docker/che-plugin-openshift-client/src/test/java/org/eclipse/che/plugin/openshift/client/OpenShiftConnectorTest.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ public class OpenShiftConnectorTest {
     private static final String   CHE_DEFAULT_SERVER_EXTERNAL_ADDRESS = "che.openshift.mini";
     private static final String   CHE_WORKSPACE_CPU_LIMIT = "1";
     private static final boolean  SECURE_ROUTES = false;
+    private static final boolean  CREATE_WORKSPACE_DIRS = true;
 
 
     @Mock
@@ -86,7 +87,8 @@ public void shouldGetWorkspaceIDWhenAValidOneIsProvidedInCreateContainerParams()
                                                     OPENSHIFT_DEFAULT_WORKSPACE_PROJECTS_STORAGE,
                                                     CHE_WORKSPACE_CPU_LIMIT,
                                                     null,
-                                                    SECURE_ROUTES);
+                                                    SECURE_ROUTES,
+                                                    CREATE_WORKSPACE_DIRS);
         String workspaceID = openShiftConnector.getCheWorkspaceId(createContainerParams);
 
         //Then