Sweatshop factory exploiter paid vulnerable foreign workers a pittance in Spain’s Alicante area

A 38-year-old clothes recycling warehouse owner has been arrested for exploiting workers at his Cocentaina factory in Alicante Province.

It’s the latest in a series of Policia Nacional detentions since last autumn following raids at several outlets in Cocentaina belonging to the same company.

Foreign workers were paid just €150 per week for working 50 hours without any health and social security coverage.

The business owner, a Moroccan national, was arrested in Alcoy for breaking labour laws.

Some employees worked for his firm for two years under the promise of having their employment status fully regularised in Spain.

The owner responded to requests for formal papers and registration by demands for €8,000 in payment.

Labour inspectors discovered that despite a number of staff members being entitled to live in Spain, they were given no contract or had social security payments credited to them.

As previously reported by the Olive Press, the Policia Nacional arrested two men last October and November for breaking workers rights at clothes recycling units in Cocentaina.

In one case, passports were removed from employees and threats made if anybody complained to the police, which somebody did.

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