12.13.2012

Nearly one year without payment!

In the last few years many people have emigrated from Spain to Germany. Whether out of necessity due to conditions at home or in order to start a new life, Spain is exporting workers to Germany where they are vulnerable to precarity and exploitation.

Our comrades, Sergi and Juan Pedro, who last February and March worked for the company Messeshop at the Fruit Logistica and ITB Trade Fairs held in Berlin, can testify to this situation.


This company, run by Spaniard María Puell and based in Eimersleben (a small town near Magdeburg), designs and sets up stands at different trade fairs. Our comrades carried out their tasks satisfactorily even though they had to endure unacceptable working conditions detailed as follows:

- Having to drive180 km from Eimersleben to Berlin after 10 hours of hard, physical labour.
- Obliged to sleep on shabby mattresses at run-down accommodation as well as being forced to sleep in the van due to lack of bedding where they were staying.
- No reimbursement of work expenses such as tickets to enter the loading bays at the trade fair plus fuel, transport and telephone – All paid from their own pockets.
- Obliged to register as self-employed so the company could save money and delay the payment.
To make matters worse, they are still waiting for the money they earned fair and square by the sweat of their brow.

Our call for action does not only aim at solving the particular problem of our comrades, but also at exposing the poor working conditions which also exist in Germany (in this case, in Berlin) so that people gain awareness, get ready to handle these situations and can respond to this or similar cases of precarious working conditions.

FAU Berlin needs your support. Sign this petition demanding that Messeshop pay Sergi and Juan Pedro. In February 2013 we'll deliver all the signatures to the company.

More information on this labour conflict of the FAU Berlin (in German):
www.fau.org

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