Cologne (dpa / lnw) – The main customs office in Cologne checked 43 catering establishments in the region around Cologne and Bonn and found violations in more than one in three. The controls were part of a nationwide focus test, as the main customs office announced on Saturday.
On Friday evening, around 80 employees of the financial control for undeclared work (FKS) of the main customs office in Cologne checked 43 catering establishments with a total of 160 employees. “17 employees stated that they were working the first day or on a trial basis. We hear that very often, but employers are obliged to report all employees to social security as soon as they start work,” explained Jens Ahland, spokesman for the main customs office. Anyone who fails to do so faces a fine of up to 25,000 euros.
Also investigated are missing hourly records (seven cases), misuse of social benefits (six cases), missing minimum wage payments (five cases), missing identity papers (three cases) and violations of immigration law (19 cases). According to the main customs office, checks like these are intended to prevent undeclared work in particular.