Customs: minimum wage is only half-controlled – Tagesspiegel

The Internet makes many things possible, but is also a great dump. The investigators of the duty have focused also why in the past year on the trade in illegal drugs in the network and thereby quadrupled the number of pills seized approximately. Unlike the drugs investigation, the investigators held in combating undeclared work and the control of the minimum wage back: It was in 2015, only about 400,000 tests of so-called financial control moonlighting, which was almost a third less than last year. And that, although since the beginning of 2015, the minimum wage of 8.50 euros be paid. According to the Ministry of Finance of the “change of strategy towards risk-based audits to improved effectiveness in combating undeclared work” resulted. After the uncovered loss amount in 2015 rose to nearly 820 (previous year: 795) million Euro. The sum of the fines fell however to 43.4 (46.7) million euro

Customs has put “sensitized”

The unions are still sour. “All the companies that are around bumble around the minimum wage have 2015 quasi had carte blanche,” complained DGB board member Stefan Körzell. Of the EUR 43.4 million fines only 200,000 euros were imposed for violations of the minimum wage law. it when the customs mainly in construction firms and workers check where it but for many years giving a sector minimum wage is downright absurd. In the sectors where the legal minimum wage should be paid mainly, namely restaurants and hotels, there was hardly any contrast controls. Only 17 percent of trials were held here to Körzell who also complained about that the measures provided for minimum control additional officials “for tasks of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has been deducted” annoyed. should be set solely for the control of the minimum wage in 1600 additional tax collector over a period of several years. That Treasury informed about minimum wage, “that newly included in the testing industries were first made aware of the new regulations without punish violations immediately”

DGB. Instructions are not

suspicion of the unions against the federal government and in particular Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is as old as the minimum wage: Since Schäuble had always been against the minimum wage, he torpedo it by lack of control, so the accusation. “Who wants to prevent black sheep among employers, must make it clear that violations at all at any time be discovered and sanctioned,” said DGB executive Körzell. Again and again, the unions would achieve notes, “that despite massive minimum wage violations that are reported to the customs, hardly reactions were” the DGB-Man

580 000 animals and told about the work of the customs officers. plants seized

They are like always busy in the past year with drugs, smuggled cigarettes and counterfeiting and piracy. For the latter, the value of seized counterfeit goods with 132 million euros remained almost constant, informed the Ministry of Finance. More than three quarters of the fake goods come from China, were most often smuggled personal care products and toys. Furthermore, the tariff provided more than 580 000 protected animals, plants and herbal supplements safe, almost five times more than in 2015. “The reason is in particular the increased imports of capsules of Indian Kotuswurzel that are considered blood circulation and anti-inflammatory as well as diet products containing ingredients of Aloe ferox “, said the Finance Ministry in the annual accounts 2015.