The financial police complained about a huge number of offenses after the raid on the Amazon distribution center.
After even the financial police were surprised at how many violations they found in a raid and investigations against Amazon service providers, the Social Democratic Business Association (SWV) sees itself confirmed. It has long been pointed out that Amazon's “reprehensible practices” have been reported. The group must not evade client liability. He was not reported – in contrast to numerous companies he hires.
“Amazon and other large parcel service providers are shifting responsibility to their subcontractors and at the same time exerting enormous pressure on them,” explains Katarina Pokorny, Vice President of the Social Democratic Business Association (SWV) and chairman of the Transport and Traffic division in the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, on Monday Broadcast.
As reported, the financial police announced on Sunday that 987 complaints had been made after the raid on the Amazon distribution center in Großebersdorf in Lower Austria. These include undeclared work and tax evasion at Amazon service providers. “I can't remember any inspection during which we encountered so many violations of the law,” said the head of the financial police, Wilfried Lehner, on Sunday.
“This series of violations clearly shows one thing: Amazon and all other parcel service providers have to take on customer liability instead of exploiting their subcontractors,” said Pokorny. In this context, the SWV calls for customer liability to be extended to include the parcel service sector.
“It is clear that entrepreneurial responsibility does not end at the loading ramp, this also applies to the correct business activities of partners and suppliers,” said Finance Minister Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) on Sunday. “We are vehemently against systemic attempts that aim to undermine fair competition.” A control pressure should lead to a rethinking and protect domestic trade.
“Apparently a system of circumventing labor and social law provisions has developed in the area of private parcel delivery,” criticized GPA boss Barbara Teiber. “As much as the current official examination is to be welcomed, it is now a matter of permanently ending these machinations. The Amazon group must be held accountable as well as the subcontractors and the state authorities.” It does not go to shift the responsibility on the workers.
The controlled companies deliver shipments for Amazon in the greater Vienna area. 60 financial police controlled 133 Amazon service providers – including 96 sub-companies and a further 24 sub-sub-companies – and 2,416 employees. Amazon Austria has only 13 direct contractual partners. This resulted in “the untangling of the network of companies, sub-companies and other sub-sub-companies so far”, according to the Ministry of Finance.
A total of 76,605 data sets were evaluated. 1,188 of the people checked were EU citizens and 1,228 third-country nationals. 687 were in part-time employment, and 237 reported as marginally employed.
Specifically, the financial police found 468 violations under the General Social Insurance Act, 144 violations under the Unemployment Insurance Act, twelve violations under the Aliens Employment Act, three violations under the Wage and Social Dumping Act and one violation of the trade regulations. The authority applied for fines in the amount of almost 770,000 euros, around 325,000 euros in attachment of claims and secured a good 88,000 euros.
In addition, social security fraud was reported in 96 cases. In addition, 195 control reports were sent to the Public Employment Service (AMS), 68 control reports to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) and 18 suggestions for carrying out company audits.
Of the total of 350 persons entitled to asylum or persons entitled to subsidiary protection who were checked in the area of the Amazon service providers, an overlap between receiving basic services and their activities in the Amazon environment was found in 93 persons. These 93 people were reported to the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) as suspected cases. The AMS re-reported 163,773 euros for Vienna and 21,989 euros for lower Austria for wrongly received transfer payments (unemployment benefit and emergency assistance).
