Palermo: gangmastering and undeclared work, all-out checks by the Carabinieri.

As part of the national plan to combat undeclared work established at the central level, the Carabinieri of the Palermo Labor Inspectorate, in synergy with their colleagues from the territorial force and the 9th Carabinieri Helicopter Unit, together with the National Labor Inspectors, seconded to the General Department of Labor in Sicily since last summer and by inspection officials of the Territorial Labor Inspectorate of Palermo, have inspected several agricultural companies in the capital and the province.

The service was carried out to combat the phenomenon of gangmastering and the abuse of undeclared work, realities which draw from the productive and economic fabric of the country, recruiting individuals in the area who are particularly susceptible to exploitation as they are forced to accept even the worst working conditions. in order not to block the path towards a regular residence permit, even to guarantee, much more simply, mere survival due to the conditions of extreme need in which they find themselves.

Affected by the inspection activity there were 4 companies in the agricultural sector, all of which were found to be irregular; the most frequently found violations were the lack of training of workers, the absence of health surveillance, as well as the failure to appoint a safety manager.
During the inspection, the presence of 14 irregular or illegal workers was also ascertained out of a total of 16 checked, including 4 non-EU minors without yet a residence permit.

They were elevated administrative sanctions of almost 100.000 euros.
In all cases, steps have been taken against the entrepreneurs who own the companies, including the imposition of a provision to suspend entrepreneurial activity, thus preventing the companies from continuing to work in illegal circumstances regarding the work positions of their employees.