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The National Police arrests two businessmen in Bilbao for exploiting workers without a residence permit or work in a textile clothing company

24/05/2023
The National Police arrests two businessmen in Bilbao for exploiting workers without a residence permit or work in a textile clothing company
  • According to these employees, they received a salary of 200 euros per month for working every day of the week from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon.
  • The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate of Biscay and five employees were found in an irregular situation
  • In addition to the criminal offenses they have committed, these employers face penalties of 10,000 euros for each worker hired under these conditions

The Brigade for Foreigners and Borders of the National Police and the Provincial Labour and Social Security Inspectorate of Bizkaia have carried out a joint operation to combat Social Security fraud and irregular employment in Bilbao that has resulted in the arrest of two businessmen for alleged crimes against workers’ rights.

It has been developed in a textile company located in an industrial building in the Bilbao neighborhood of Ametzola, finding in its interior six workers, five of whom were in an irregular situation, since they did not have a residence and work permit in our country.

WORKING CONDITIONS OF SEMI-EXCLAVITUD

According to statements from these workers, they charged 200 euros per month for working days that began at seven in the morning and ended at four in the afternoon, seven days a week. In this sense, if they complained or refused to work like this, they forced them to accept through threats to inform the police to expel them from Spain.

In addition, they explained to the investigators that, as a security measure, the premises were always closed from the inside to avoid any police inspection and that they only opened it, after telephone notification, when the necessary material was to be delivered to make the garments in which they worked.

For all these reasons, last Thursday the two businessmen who run the ship were arrested, a couple of Moroccan origin who are facing, in addition to the possible criminal consequences for these crimes, labour sanctions of 3,000 euros for each employee not registered in the Social Security and 10,000 euros per irregular worker and without work permit.