The National Police arrested a businessman, of Moroccan origin and Spanish nationality, who offered work and regularization of his employment situation to undocumented compatriots in exchange for money. The police operation was carried out in collaboration with the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate.
The Asturias police headquarters confirmed this Monday that the arrest took place on October 9 following a complaint from a Moroccan citizen in an irregular situation.
According to the worker’s version, the detainee promised to improve his professional situation in exchange for the delivery of 5,000 euros.
The agents opened an investigation and were able to verify that several workers at the company were in conditions similar to those of the complainant.
No protective equipment, no training
Workers were subjected to workdays of more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week, primarily performing tree felling and land clearing tasks.
The police assure that they did not provide them with adequate protective equipment either, since they limited themselves to giving them “a simple visor for the face”.
They also failed to provide training on occupational hazards, despite using dangerous machines such as brush cutters and chainsaws.
The Superior Police Prefecture of Asturias assured that the salary received by the workers was around 700 euros per month in cash.
