CCOO detects around fifty undocumented Turkish workers at the Camp Nou construction site

BarcelonaMore labor irregularities at the Camp Nou renovation project. The CCOO union warned on Tuesday that in recent days, one of the subcontractors for the Turkish construction company Limak has dismissed 14 undocumented Turkish workers who were working on the project. According to the union, the company is getting rid of these employees as the work progresses so they can return to their country "without any guarantees." In other words, they are being forced into deportation. Furthermore, last month the union reported the presence of fifty workers with irregular immigration status to the Labor Inspectorate, and the labor police are currently conducting an investigation, the results of which are not yet known. "These people, some of whom have been working on the project for over a year, now face dismissal by Extreme Works and the construction company Limak, who intend to send them back to their country without any guarantees," they stated at a morning protest to denounce this situation. For months, CCOO has been helping more than 50 workers of Turkish origin, in coordination with the Turkish union DISK, and now they fear that these employees—who also suffer precarious working conditions and long hours—may be dismissed and sent back to their country.

Therefore, the union has demanded "commitment and involvement" from both FC Barcelona, as the project's promoter, and the Spanish government delegation, which has jurisdiction over immigration matters. In this regard, they demand the immediate reinstatement of the dismissed workers, social security contributions from their first day of work, payment of outstanding wages, and that the administration act ex officio and urgently process residence and work permits for all workers who can prove more than six months of employment on these projects.

Action by the Labor Inspectorate

In statements made this Wednesday on Catalunya Ràdio, the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, assured that the Labor Inspectorate mobilized as soon as it received the complaint from the CCOO union at the end of September. In this regard, he advised being "careful and prudent" and letting the inspectors do their work: "We are currently investigating the case [...] When we conclude it, we will be able to say whether or not there will be a sanction." According to the Secretary of Labor for the Catalan Government, Paco Ramos, the results of the union's complaint should be ready in the coming weeks. Ramos guaranteed, in any case, that the labor inspectorate "will continue to act" at the Camp Nou construction site to ensure that the irregularities "cannot be repeated." So far, according to Sàmper, 40 inspections have been carried out at the Camp Nou construction site, 30 initiated by the union itself and 10 based on complaints from private individuals, such as the one from CCOO. "It's a very large project, with an outside company and many subcontractors. And things haven't been done quite right," he admitted.

"It's not the time to talk about Barça's responsibility"

FC Barcelona points out that the majority of the nearly 3,500 workers who have mobilized regarding the Camp Nou renovations are employed by subcontracted companies, "directly responsible for their labor relations," and that the club "maintains constant collaboration with Limak to guarantee absolute respect for labor rights and compliance with current legislation in all phases of the project." The Minister of Business has concurred with the club, stating that the irregularities They are the responsibility of Limak and its subcontractors, not Barça. "Barça is not directly responsible. It's not appropriate to discuss Barça's responsibility," he stated.