Eight foreign workers housed in a 14 m² container — Davor Božinović: 'This is unacceptable'

The police and the State Inspectorate discovered that workers from India and Nepal were accommodated in extremely poor and overcrowded conditions at a company from Čazma, after which the Minister of the Interior announced intensified inspections across the country.

During an inspection of a local firm, 62 workers from India and Nepal were checked, and inspectors found serious irregularities related to accommodation.

As established, eight workers were housed in a single construction container with an area of only 14 square metres. The container had no air-conditioning, and there were not enough sanitary facilities.

"Eight people in 14 square metres, in a container that is not intended for living but for construction work, with insufficient sanitary facilities — that is simply unacceptable," said Davor Božinović.

Regulation and penalties

According to the applicable regulation for accommodation of workers from third countries, the facility must have separate toilets and baths, provided water, electricity, heating, ventilation and appropriate furniture. The minimum prescribed area is 14 square metres per worker.

The State Inspectorate will sanction the identified irregularities. For companies that fail to provide legally prescribed accommodation, monetary fines of €1,500 to €3,000 are envisaged, and responsible persons can be fined €500 to €1,000.

The company that was the subject of the inspection briefly stated that it awaits the official report and believes that by submitting the documentation within the legal deadline it will prove that the rights of the workers were not violated. The minister announced that inspections will continue and that there will be intensified checks across the country.

According to statistical data provided by the authorities, Croatia currently has around 130,000 valid work and residence permits for foreign nationals.

Photo: Railway workers - EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI