Canton of Geneva intensifies fight against undeclared work
The canton of Geneva will improve the fight against wage dumping and undeclared work. In the event of serious violations, work on construction sites should be able to be stopped.
The Geneva State Council has adopted an amendment to the law on labor inspection and industrial relations and forwarded it to the cantonal parliament, as announced on Wednesday. The change is the result of the joint will of the social partners and the authorities to combat undeclared work.
With the revision, the supervision of the construction sites should be competent. According to the State Council, this is a reaction to the abuses observed in this sector, in which strong competition regularly leads to situations of undercutting wages and undeclared work, such as non-payment of wages or social security contributions.
The new legislation should make it possible to act quickly and with deterrent sanctions. In the case of serious violations, the work of the defaulting company could be stopped immediately, even if this could lead to a delay in the construction site or even its closure.
According to the bill, an initial suspension of work can be ordered for a period of three days. After that, it can also be extended by the labor inspectorate of the canton until a legal situation is restored.
If a company proves to be unruly and refuses to stop its work, the cantonal police can intervene. The defaulting company must make the necessary adjustments to resume work.