Germany: Massive checks on illegal employment in construction

2023-04-27 17:15:48, Kosova & Bota CNA

Germany: Massive checks on illegal employment in construction

Controls by the German authorities, especially in the construction sector

The German customs action on Tuesday was part of a general crackdown on undeclared work in Germany. The aim was to control compliance with the social insurance obligation and the minimum wage, as well as the detection of illegal work. Across Germany, 3,400 German customs officers were deployed for checks, according to the General Directorate of Customs. The focus was especially on large construction sites, where cases of illegal employment are often found. For years, there have been thousands of people from the Balkans in Germany, working especially in illegal construction sites and in poor working conditions. According to a spokesman for Schweinfurt Central Customs "the construction sector is very affected by undeclared work and illegal employment".

Controls by the German authorities, especially in the construction sector

Only in the state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, 610 people were checked and in 48 cases people without regular documents were found who need to be further verified. In Hannover at a construction site out of 69 employees, 47 people were found with incorrect documents, which will also be checked further. In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, checks were also carried out by hundreds of customs officers. In Köln, out of 350 people checked in construction, 30 people were found to be working illegally. So almost every tenth person. Most were found at a construction site in Cologne-Dojtc. Jens Ahland, spokesman for the Köln Central Customs, said that "it is about checking whether the workers have a work permit, or whether they receive social assistance and of course whether the employers respect the payment of the minimum wage".

Illegal work causes a great financial loss to the German state. - Last year alone, employers in the construction sector were checked in 15,000 cases. In more than 21,000 cases there were investigative proceedings last year. According to customs, the damage caused amounted to 375 million euros. The data collected by the customs authorities after the control yesterday (25.04.) will be verified and a part will be made known on Wednesday./ DW