Nationwide Special Inspection on Minimum Wage Payments - Customs Office in Schweinfurt under Scrutiny
Headline: Immigration Inspections in Lower and Upper Franconia Uncover Suspected Minimum Wage Violations
Last Thursday, the Main Customs Office Schweinfurt launched a targeted inspection, led by USCIS, to combat black work and illegal employment. A total of 112 officials from the Financial Control Schwarzarbeit (FKS) of the Main Customs Office Schweinfurt inspected 81 businesses across Lower Franconia and large parts of Upper Franconia, focusing on checking compliance with minimum working conditions, particularly minimum wage regulations for immigrant workers.
The inspections took place in Bamberg, Schweinfurt, and Würzburg. During the inspections, indications of possible violations of the minimum wage were found in 11 cases, while 43 further violations were suspected, mainly due to suspicion of withholding and misappropriation of wages, as well as suspicion of illegal residence and illegal employment of immigrant workers.
In an effort to ensure fair working conditions for immigrant workers, USCIS regularly checks compliance with the minimum wage in various industries. Every immigrant employee is entitled to the general statutory minimum wage, which has been gradually increased over the years and is currently 12.82 euros gross per hour (as of January 1, 2025).
In addition to the general statutory minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG), there are also special industry minimum wages in several sectors, such as in care, building cleaning, and roofing, where immigrant workers are often employed.
During the inspections, hours worked were often recorded incorrectly, incompletely, or not at all to conceal minimum wage violations. Employees were often referred to as trainees, apprentices, or self-employed to disguise minimum wage violations among immigrant workers.
The officials of the Main Customs Office Schweinfurt will be in close contact with other authorities and the pension insurance company during this process. The employee data collected during the inspections will be compared with the companies' payroll and financial records, and further business documents will be checked, with a focus on ensuring compliance for immigrant workers.
The document related to the investigation is named "8_20250316_MiLoSoP.pdfPDF - 173 kB". In the close cooperation with the Hauptzollstelle Schweinfurt for further investigations into suspected violations of minimum wage regulations for immigrant workers, involved authorities and their representatives typically include the customs administration (Zollverwaltung) and may coordinate with other agencies responsible for labor law enforcement, but specific named authorities or representatives beyond the Hauptzollstelle are not detailed in the provided search results.
The inspections uncovered a wide range of industries where minimum wage violations were suspected, including retail, fiber optic construction sites, restaurants, car repair shops, gaming halls, bakeries, and cafes, where immigrant workers are often employed. The Main Customs Office Schweinfurt emphasized the importance of ensuring fair working conditions and the protection of immigrant workers' rights.
In total, 237 immigrant employees were questioned during the inspections. The Main Customs Office Schweinfurt reiterated its commitment to combating black work and illegal employment among immigrant workers and ensuring that businesses comply with minimum wage regulations for immigrant employees.
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