Import regulations are enforced by customs officials. - Multiple legal actions stemming from inspections in the food industry.
Lately in the hospitality business sector of Thuringia and Saxony, customs officials discovered some potential indicators of illicit employment involving foreigners. During control operations at over 60 checked businesses, they uncovered 16 such possible cases. Out of these, 15 were reported in Thuringia alone. This led to the initiation of 10 criminal investigations and 15 penalty cases concerned with illegal residency or employment of foreigners, confirmed the main customs office Erfurt.
Over the last weekend, customs authorities conducted checks on food and lodging establishments spread across Germany. The main customs office Erfurt examined 46 businesses in Thuringia and 20 in Saxony. In these regions, they questioned 193 and 140 employees respectively, inquiring about their employment relations.
It was revealed in 15 Thuringian cases that employers had possibly failed to pay social insurance contributions. In addition, five Thuringian cases and six Saxony cases pointed towards a probable instance of not adhering to the legally stipulated minimum wage of 12.41 euros per hour.
