First social dumping spot checks carried out

A new task group which sets out to investigate possible social dumping has carried out its first spot checks of employers with foreign workers. 

In September, the police, the Work Environment and Fire Safety Authority and tax authority TAKS signed a cooperation deal about investigating working conditions for foreign nationals who come to the Faroes for work purposes. 

 >> SEE ALSO Probe into working conditions for foreigners

Last week, police carried out the first unannounced inspections at four workplaces, two building sites and two restaurants, and at two of the places they found irregularities in some of the foreigners’ work permits, and in all four places there were some minor issues with regard to the working environment. >>

The workplaces have been given a deadline for resolving the issues. 

“A sample size of four companies is obviously far from enough to reveal any general tendencies,” says Leivur Persson, the head of the Work Environment and Fire Safety Authority, who coordinates the initiative. 

A necessary initiative 

“But it is clear that after checking four workplaces, of which two were found to have formal irregularities, we certainly have a good basis for carrying on with this initiative.” 

According to the cooperation agreement, police looks at residence permits, the Work Environment and Fire Safety Authority investigates working conditions while TAKS oversees the financial aspect. 

Translated by prosa.fo