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Palma.—Central Government delegate inspectors have discovered 1'185 people working without a proper contract in the Balearics during the first eight months of the year, 28.8 percent more than during the same period in 2011.

Inspectors said that from January to August last year there were 920 frauds related to Social Security or foreign residents permits.
The growth in the number of fraudulent situations coming to light, the Central Government delegate in Palma said yesterday, is due in part to the fact that there have been more inspections, a further 13 percent this year (9'023), an extra 1'040 than in the same period in 2011, but also to the fact that there has been greater collaboration between police forces and delegation officials.

Safety first
Balearic government Commerce director, César Pacheco said that investigators looking into job contracts and social security contributions were working hand in hand with those who might otherwise be checking on whether commercial businesses were abiding with government regulations.

Pacheco said the object of the exercise was to ensure that the law was complied with and to create a safe environment in which people could work and do business.

He said that the investigations were essentially a “toughening process” so that all employers and employed had to abide by the same rules.
The Commerce Director said that although his team were principally engaged in making checks on business practice, they were also geared to alert Central Government delegate inspectors to any irregularities they discovered so far as employment conditions were concerned.

The Balearic government has recently decided to increase the number of inspectors it has “out in the field” before the end of the year. Currently there is an inspector for the Commerce department for each of the Balearic Islands.

Furthermore, the Balearic government is planning further controls against fraud, illegal business and black market operations, said Pacheco. He explained that the move comes at the request of already-established legal businesses who pay government taxes and see unfair competition as undermining their honest business dealings.