A gang of 12 men worked day after day in the vineyards of Villanueva de Duero (Valladolid, 1,200 inhabitants), a town near the Duero River that lives from grapes. Leading the group is a man who was arrested for exploiting the team on “marathon days without a set schedule” and “piece work,” according to the National Police. Both the workers and the arrested person have Romanian nationality, and unlike in many of these labor abuse cases against foreigners, the day laborers had their papers in order. The boss pretended to be a businessman, although he had no records as a businessman or self-employed to work in the fields and act as an intermediary between the local farmers and his employees in appalling conditions.
The police action was dubbed “Operation Panas” and was organized between the Valladolid National Police and the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate. Investigations began in September last year and led to this arrest for a crime against the rights of workers from the wrong position of intermediary in the “provision of agricultural services”, according to the police in a press release. On September 14, an inspection at a vineyard in Villanueva de Duero served to locate and identify the dozen day laborers “working on behalf of a businessman of Romanian origin who acted as an intermediary between peasants and workers to obtain labor in the field to provide”. . They soon discovered that the alibi was false and that he was not registered in the employment system, meaning he was not contributing or paying Social Security.
More information
The person concerned was at the scene of the police operation and initially admitted to being “responsible and responsible” for the staff, who also had no contract or presence with Social Security. According to this first version, he said he was one more worker and pointed to the landowner, trying to pretend that he usually “hired the day laborers directly”, but this time “needed labor because of the weather conditions”. very quickly, which prompted him to contact him as an intermediary”.
The 12 identified men are also Romanians. Contrary to what is usual in this type of establishment, they had their residence and work permits in Spain in order. Therefore, “there was no legal impediment to hiring them and processing their registration as workers in the social security system.” In addition to providing irregular support, the group had no schedules, working “piecemeal” on “marathon days” and being transferred through various agricultural areas to work almost non-stop. The alleged businessman, who was released on charges, also arranged accommodation for them in a municipality in the province of Valladolid, which the police did not specify, and paid them a miserable salary there, as he allowed them to cover the cost of accommodation , supply, maintenance and transport to the place where they had to work during the day.
What affects most is what happens closer. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything.
subscribe to
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits