Restaurant closed in Cala Millor that had exploited undocumented workers and served unsanitary food
The employees worked 13-hour days every day, some of them lived on the premises in poor conditions and the food was prepared in unsanitary conditions
PalmaA police inspection carried out on Thursday in Cala Millor, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, ended with the closure of a restaurant with people working in an irregular situation, 13-hour shifts every day, workers living on the premises in poor conditions, and multiple sanitary deficiencies.
The National Police has detailed that the inspection was carried out jointly with the Local Police of Sant Llorenç, the Labor Inspectorate, and the Health and Housing departments of the Government. The inspection was carried out following information initially requested by the Local Police of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, which alerted them to a possible case of labor exploitation of irregular foreign workers.
The indications pointed to the employees possibly residing in rooms within the establishment itself, which was brought to the attention of the Immigration subgroup of the National Police station in Manacor. Immigration investigators from the National Police carried out various inquiries and were able to corroborate the information provided by the Local Police.
On July 23rd, around 1:00 PM, the inspection operation took place, which determined that out of 15 workers present in the premises, three were in Spain irregularly. The other 12 were registered as part-time employees, despite working 13 hours a day, seven days a week.
Without the most basic hygiene measures
For its part, Health was able to confirm a large number of deficiencies that the establishment presented regarding the refrigeration, handling, and cooking of food. The business did not respect the cold chain or the separation of foods and cooked without the most basic hygiene measures on the part of the workers. Some employees had their rooms attached to the kitchen and food storage areas, with a significant lack of cleanliness.
These circumstances led to the immediate closure of the establishment, with a period of 10 days for the company to resolve deficiencies so that it can reopen, independent of the possible administrative sanctions it faces.
Nine rooms without conditions
Similarly, Government housing inspectors confirmed the existence of nine rooms without the minimum conditions necessary to live with dignity. The rooms had to be shared among them, without private bathrooms, without ventilation, very dirty and attached to the kitchen and storage rooms and with a strong and unpleasant smell of food.
On the part of the Immigration Group, expulsion proceedings were initiated against the three irregular workers and investigations continue to see if a supposed crime against workers' rights may have been committed by those responsible for the establishment.
In parallel, the Local Police of Sant Llorenç drew up several reports for documentary issues of permits and licenses in order to verify possible infractions that may have been committed regarding these matters.
