Labour Inspectorate after BNT report: The case with the stranded Bulgarian seasonal workers in Sweden contains all signs of job search scam

The case of the Bulgarian seasonal workers in Sweden, who claimed to have been left without shelter, work and income, as reported in the media, and broadcast by BNT on August 10, contains all the signs of fraud that the Bulgarian Labour Inspectorate has repeatedly paid attention to.

According to their data, the persons were convinced by an individual without having information that he is a representative of an intermediary company registered in the Employment Agency, that provides temporary work or an employer that will hire posted seasonal workers within framework of providing services. They have paid a fee which, in the case of lawful secondment or posting, cannot be demanded from jobseekers. They left without any written documents in which their working and residence conditions in the host country were agreed, without data of the sender, the employer in the host country. In the absence of these data, the Labour Inspectorates in both Bulgaria and the host country are objectively unable to exercise control.

Despite the lack of sufficient information to carry out controls, the Labour Inspectorate self-initiated actions and efforts were made to establish more information on how the group was posted, in order to carry out an inspection within the Agency's remit. An attempt is also being made to identify the employer in Sweden in order to alert the local control authorities.

More information on the rights and obligations of jobseekers is published regularly on the website of the Labour Inspectorate. It can also be found at https://www.gli.government.bg/bg/node/11419

The case coincided with the drafting of a short guide to fair seasonal work by the European Labour Authority (ELA). Part of it is a checklist with questions, the answers to which indicate whether posting for seasonal work within the European Union is legal. The brochure describes the basic rights that EU citizens or non-EU citizens legally residing in EU countries have. The information also pays attention to the equal treatment of workers, social security, working and living conditions, etc. Links to useful information and data from institutions that individuals can contact if their rights have been violated and that are available for online distribution of the brochure have also been published.

The guide to fair work standards was developed as part of the "Rights in All Seasons" awareness-rising campaign, calling attention to the need to promote fair and safe working conditions for seasonal workers employed across EU countries. The Labour Inspectorate is a partner of the Employment Agency in conducting the campaign for Bulgaria. Social media campaign posts can be found using the hashtag #Rightsforseasons.

Information on working conditions in the Member States is also published on the website of the Network for Cooperation between the European Employment Services, in the section "Living and working conditions" https://eures.bg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142:living-and-working-conditions&catid=19&lang=en&Itemid=786

Information about the campaign is also published in a specially created section of the European Labour Authority https://www.ela.europa.eu/campaigns/rights-for-all-seasons