Overview

• On June 16, 2,800 customs officers from the Generalzolldirektion and various Hauptzollämter fanned out across construction sites to inspect compliance with labor laws.
• Officials conducted checks in major cities including Cologne, Berlin and Munich to verify whether workers received at least the €12.82 minimum wage and were properly registered with the social security system.
• At a rehabilitation center site in Bornheim near Cologne, five of 27 workers were found to be illegally employed under substandard pay and originated from Belarus and Kosovo.
• Customs officers discovered one worker hiding on a 15-meter-high roof ledge after attempts to evade inspection and subsequently opened an investigation into the local construction company for illegal hiring.
• The operation underscores the persistent challenge that black market labor poses to authorities despite previous nationwide raids.