Slavery in the north: Romanians forces compatriots to work hard!

in Neumünster, Schleswig-Holstein, a 52-year-old Romanian was arrested, who presumably forced his compatriots to work like slave. According to a report by Image Unhygienic conditions housed in a factory hall. The bedrooms showed cold, dirty and sometimes heavily moldy conditions. In addition, the beds were pushed together from simple insulation material plates.

A construction worker reported on the catastrophic conditions and was finally able to flee from exploitation and seek help. His flight caused the customs to carry out a search of living and business premises as well as the construction site with 76 customs officers. During the investigation, it turned out that workers had to work for up to 13 hours a day, under constant surveillance and with minimal meals, without regular breaks. One of the most serious aspects: The workers received no wages over a period of up to three months and the accused also did not pay taxes and social security contributions for them.

arrest and legal consequences

Robert Dütsch, the head of the main customs office in Kiel, described the situation as a particularly difficult form of work exploitation. The Romanian is said to have lured his compatriots to Germany with false promises and threatened physical violence to force them to work. A wealth arrest of 60,000 euros was also executed to ensure that the accused cannot pull out of his actions and to be able to compensate for the potential victims in the event of a conviction.

The events in Neumünster are part of a major problem that emerges in Germany. As KOK often use the emergency or helplessness of employees, which can be restricted and freedom of action and leads dangerous working conditions. The employment relationships, which are considered exploitation, are often characterized by poor payment, long working hours, high placement fees and lack of wages. Migrants are particularly at risk due to restrictive access conditions for labor markets and dubious employment agencies in industries such as construction, gastronomy and care.