Customs campaign reveals minimum wage violations in Hesse-8 arrests!

Customs campaign reveals minimum wage violations in Hesse-8 arrests!

In an intensive action to check the complaint of the minimum wage, more than 100 customs officers checked the financial control for undeclared work on Thursday in Hesse whether employers comply with the prescribed regulations. They received support from local tax offices and job centers. The searches took place in various industries, including laundries, hairdressing salons and gastronomy. 88 employers were put through their paces and more than 270 employees were asked about their working conditions.

"In eight cases, the first signs of violations were found. These now have to be examined further," said Stephanie Auerswald, press spokeswoman for the Gießen main customs office. The customs officers not only focused on the correct payment of the minimum wage of EUR 12.41, but also on the proper documentation by the employers. During some controls in Fulda, the customs officers discovered several people who were employed without the necessary work permits.

uncovering illegal employment

During the exams, the officials in the district of Gießen found, for example, two Vietnamese at the age of 19 and 34 years in a nail studio who worked without the necessary work permits. Two Georgians at the age of 22 and 24 were also convicted in a barbershop in the Lahn-Dill district. In the Kassel district, a 24-year-old Indian in a fast restorer and a 30-year-old Vietnamese, also in a nail studio, were found at work without the necessary papers. The incident in the Fulda district was particularly revealing, where customs officers discovered two Georgians (32 and 33 years) who worked with fake ID documents.

The authorities arrested all eight people affected for the time being. Your further whereabouts now depends on the decisions of the responsible immigration authorities. Investigations are also initiated against the employers who are responsible for illegal employment. Last year, the Gießen main customs office had initiated over 212 procedures for minimum wage violations, which underlines the relevance of such measures.

cross -border cooperation in the EU

The campaign in Hessen was part of a nationwide focus test and represents an important part of the largest cross-border controls in the European Union. On October 17, 2024, a total of 21 EU member states took part, coordinated by the European Labor Authority (ELA). The focus of the entire investigation was on compliance with the minimum wage, especially in the case of cross -border cases of undeclared work. Over 3300 customs officers were deployed for these exams, supported by delegations from 20 EU countries.

This concerted action not only serves to combat undeclared work and illegal employment, but also illustrates the need for a common effort in the EU in order to act against the circumvention of the minimum wage. This shows that the Member States work together in order to enforce the regulations for the protection of employees and fair competition. Such exams create transparency and ask both employers and employees to comply with the legal provisions.

Further details on these important exams are at www.osthessen-zeitung.de to be found.