IN BREVE
- During inspections for the 2025 harvest, the Finance Police discovered 14 irregular farmhands, 13 of whom were working off the books.
- A Pakistani entrepreneur whose company is based in Zenson di Piave was involved in a subcontracting agreement with an agricultural company for the production of Prosecco Docg.
- Among the twenty workers inspected, one lacked a residence permit and another was working completely off the books.
- Investigations revealed an unlawful subcontracting arrangement, with the entrepreneur lacking organizational autonomy over the workers.
- The Pakistani entrepreneur and the legal representative of the agricultural company have been reported for violations of the Biagi Decree.
On the occasion of the 2025 harvest, the Treviso Finance Police carried out a series of inspections on farms and agricultural companies in the province, identifying “numerous violations of labor regulations.” During the checks, 14 irregular farmhands were discovered, 13 of whom were working completely off the books.
UNDECLARED LABOR IN VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO: INVESTIGATION INTO ZENSON DI PIAVE FIRM
Subsequent investigations led the Finance Police of the Conegliano Company to focus on a sole proprietorship in Zenson di Piave, run by a citizen of Pakistani origin. The man had signed a subcontracting agreement with a company owning land in Valdobbiadene, intended for the production of Prosecco Docg.
During an inspection, officers found twenty workers engaged in the grape harvest. Eighteen of them were formally employees of the Pakistani owner’s firm.
IRREGULAR WORKERS AND HYPOTHESIS OF UNLAWFUL SUBCONTRACTING
The checks revealed that among the employees was a Bangladeshi citizen without a residence permit, as well as one worker completely “off the books.” For this reason, the owner and the Bangladeshi worker were reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Treviso.
However, the checks also brought to light a more complex situation. According to the Finance Police, the contract signed between the entrepreneur and the agricultural company masked a case of unlawful subcontracting.
The decisive factor concerns the contractor’s lack of organizational autonomy, as he had no directive power over the workers. The workers used tools and equipment provided directly by the agricultural company, indicating that the relationship between the two parties did not correspond to the conditions set out in the subcontracting agreement.
REPORTING OF THE TWO RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE
Based on these elements, the Finance Police reported both – the Pakistani entrepreneur and the legal representative of the agricultural company – to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Treviso. The alleged offense is unlawful subcontracting, as provided for by Legislative Decree No. 276/2003, known as the “Biagi Decree”.
The Finance Police emphasized how this activity represents a further demonstration of their commitment to combating undeclared work. A phenomenon that “undermines workers’ rights and distorts competition to the detriment of honest businesses.”
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