German Customs Inspects Undeclared Work in Package Logistics

The Financial Control of Illegal Employment (FKS) of the Customs has today launched a focused inspection against illegal work and employment relationships in the courier, express, and parcel industry across the entire country. Over 2,900 employees from all main customs offices are deployed to verify compliance with legal regulations in this sector.

Focus on Various Activities in the Industry

The inspections concentrate on all relevant activities related to the collection, transportation, transshipment, and delivery of shipments. The FKS employees are primarily active in the areas of transport and delivery, as well as in depots and distribution centers. The checks are conducted through employee interviews and examination of business documents.

In the course of these inspections, the FKS has repeatedly found that working hours are not or not fully compensated. This leads to the legal minimum wage of 13.90 euros per hour not being adhered to. In particular, overtime, loading times for vehicles, and trips between parcel centers and the first delivery location often remain unpaid.

Additionally, it is observed that subcontractors are used to circumvent social security contributions and evade taxes. A significant portion of the employed personnel comes from EU member states, but increasingly also from third countries.

Today’s measures by the Customs will continue into the evening hours. Preliminary results of the nationwide focused inspection are expected to be published in a separate press release by the end of the week.

Regular Inspections to Combat Illegal Work

The FKS regularly conducts nationwide focused and special inspections, as well as local inspection days, based on a risk-oriented inspection approach. These concerted measures are an important tool for reducing the societal acceptance of illegal work and employment. They also contribute to the comprehensive detection and prosecution of violations.

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