A new report from A-krimsenteret in Oslo shows how 29 construction companies in Oslo and Viken use foreign workers and commit other forms of work and employment crime.
Criminal activity leads to negative consequences for both individuals and society
– Foreign exploitation workers and other forms of work-related crime they give criminals a competitive advantage over serious industry actors. Their criminal activities also lead to negative consequences for both individuals and society, says center manager Olav Norheim of the A-crime center in Oslo.
There is a high risk of work-related crime in the construction industry
The construction industry is considered an industry with a high risk of work-related crimes. It is a competitive industry with a high demand for cheap labor and a high use of foreign workers. A report from the Oslo crime center shows the typical characteristics of criminals in the industry and how they exploit employees.
Characteristics of the entities:
-Most operate primarily on the consumer market (private market)
-Most have a criminal record
-Some of them are associated with companies with a history of bankruptcy
-Most of their employees come from Eastern Europe
-Also commits other forms of work related crime: withholding tax, NAV fraud, use of redundancy and compensation schemes, and bankruptcy offenses
-Uses a sole proprietorship to avoid the employer's liability
-Uses fake people to hide true property
. This is how employees are used:
-By dangerous work, unpredictable working conditions and unworthy living conditions
-Theft of earnings
-Unregistered workers and illegal work
-A fee "in black" (in full or in part)
The purpose of the inter-agency center is to prevent and detect work-related crime
Oslo Criminal Center A consists of the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate, the Tax Administration, the Oslo Police District, the Eastern Police District and NAV. The cooperation has existed since 2015.
The purpose of the interagency center is to prevent and detect work-related crime. This applies, inter alia, to violations of the Work Environment Act, the shadow economy, social security fraud, illegal work and the exploitation of vulnerable workers.
There are seven centers in Norway, located in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Bodø and Tønsberg.
If you need to, call the police on 02800 or the emergency number 112
