The Labour and Social Security Inspectorate in Cantabria has detected labour fraud and imposed sanctions worth 15.8 million euros in the first ten months of 2024, according to the provisional balance sheet presented today at a press conference by the Government delegate in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, the Minister of Industry, Eduardo Arasti, and the territorial director of the Inspectorate, Miguel Ángel Gálvez.
The report, which has been presented to the Operational Commission, states that 1,361 acts of infringement have been issued with sanctions of 3.9 million euros, to which 6.3 million in liquidation files and 5.6 million in induced collection have been added. Most of the irregularities detected are related to non-compliances in the area of Social Security.
"These data show the important work of the Labor Inspection and the commitment of the Government of Spain to ensure that all workers are protected and that companies comply with their legal obligations," said Gómez de Diego, who stressed this performance "not only protects the rights of workers, but also combats unfair competition that affects companies that operate within the law."
Nearly 1,400 contracts transformed
The councilor Eduardo Arasti, who chairs the Operational Commission, has highlighted that this year 3,244 contracts have been reviewed, of which 1,395 have been transformed into indefinite contracts, and has indicated that the main breaches in the area of labor relations have to do with working time, the violation of the regulations of contracts, salaries and the establishment of conditions lower than those established legally.
Regarding the prevention of occupational risks, Arasti has indicated that a total of 1,672 service orders have been made; 192 second verification visits of prior requirements and 5,461 actions, especially, those related to the material conditions of safety and hygiene in the work centers, such as stairs, changing rooms, machinery or electrical risks, and those related to risk assessments and preventive planning, training of workers, health surveillance and signaling of workplaces.
Infractions in the prevention of occupational risks have increased by 38% compared to 2023, an indicator of the greater inspection activity in this area.
Failure to register and performance fraud
For her part, delegate Eugenia Gómez de Diego has reported that 1,236 files have been closed in the field of Social Security, detecting 383 infractions related mainly to lack of registration of workers, differences in contributions and fraud in benefits. The sanctions in this area amount to 1.14 million euros, benefiting 648 workers.
On the other hand, in the area of Irregular Economy and Foreigners, 1,524 files have been concluded, identifying 85 infractions with sanctions of 706,733 euros. The most common irregularities include lack of work permits and simulations of labor relations to fraudulently access social benefits.
Gómez de Diego recalled that any working person can face the unfair situations suffered, through the mailbox of the Labor Inspection, which offers the possibility of communicating, from anonymity, the situations of labor abuse to which they may be subjected.
The delegate also thanked the staff of the Labour Inspectorate for their work, also underlining the commitment of the Government of Spain to strengthening human and material resources to ensure effective supervision. In this regard, he pointed out that this summer two new sub-inspectors have been added to the workforce, so that Cantabria has completed 100% of its staffing.
New campaigns
During the press conference, territorial director Miguel Ángel Gálvez announced that more than 7,300 scheduled service orders will be carried out in 2025.
Among the priorities are the reinforcement of occupational risk prevention campaigns, with special attention to carcinogenic risks, maintaining controls on the working conditions of minors and in the agricultural sector, as well as on biological risks in the health sector, musculoskeletal risks and the maintenance of work equipment, among others.
Also, as he stressed, campaigns will be included in new occupations on the rise, such as the installation of solar panels or those related to digital and distribution platforms, an activity that "worries a lot", both for the area of risk prevention and for irregularities in labor relations (false self-employed).
In the area of the Irregular Economy, the Inspectorate will focus its efforts on combating undeclared work and fraudulent practices that affect both workers’ rights and fair competition between companies. In addition, inspections will be maintained to ensure effective equality between women and men, controlling situations of gender harassment, family reconciliation and discrimination in access and conditions of employment.
The Labour Inspectorate will also continue with its planned activity in the field of Social Security to avoid situations of fraud, such as the setting up of improper schemes; companies with debts to the agency; Social Security benefits; the control of undue leave, or infractions due to non-application of collective agreements or undue bonuses.