Blitz against undeclared work: 11 reports, 8 activities suspended and heavy fines

The Carabinieri of the Labor Inspectorate and the Operational Unit of the Labor Protection Group in Palermo, along with personnel from the Regional Directorate of INPS in Palermo, conducted inspection visits in the area of via Libertà and Piazza Castelnuovo at 14 commercial establishments of various types (stores selling telecommunications, photography, clothing, footwear, bakeries, and food products), finding irregularities of both administrative and criminal nature in 11 of these, and in some cases also regarding safety in the workplace. The military personnel proceeded to report 11 employers and to suspend 8 business activities for the employment of “black” workers as well as for violations of safety regulations. More specifically, 42 workers were identified, of whom 8 were found to be unknown to the Public Administration, and at the end of the operations, fines totaling €87,133.00 and administrative penalties totaling €85,600.00 were imposed.

“The violations regarding safety in the workplace were numerous, such as the lack of health surveillance for employees, the lack of training on safety for workers, and the lack of preparation of the Risk Assessment Document - said the Carabinieri - Additionally, a form of undue control over workers was found through the installation of remote surveillance systems without the required notification to the competent authorities, specifically, the Territorial Labor Inspectorate and the workers themselves, in violation of their fundamental freedoms. The Carabinieri Labor Protection Group, in synergy with the territorial Army and other institutional bodies involved, will continue to plan inspection activities in these areas with the aim of combating both undeclared work and the lack of safety in the workplace, to protect both the health and the dignity of workers.