Two Chinese clothing factories in Prato investigated: 6 people without legal residency, fined over 40000 euros, actual responsible person arrested on the spot

Two Chinese owned clothing factories in the western district of Prato, Italy have been investigated. Law enforcement officers found 6 Chinese employees without legal residency status at the scene. Another on-site manager was arrested on suspicion of illegal employment of labor.

This inspection is a special check on the legality of production arranged by the government of Pretetura province. The leading force is the administrative and security police department of the local police station (Questura di Prato). The local police (Polizia Locale), labor inspection bureau, health bureau (Asl), social security bureau (Inps), work-related injury insurance bureau (Inail), sanitation company (Alia), and fire brigade participated together.

When inspecting one of the clothing factories, law enforcement officers saw 11 Chinese employees working. After checking their identities, it was found that 6 of them did not have a valid residence permit in Italy. Now, these 6 people have been handed over to relevant departments for prosecution on suspicion of illegal entry and detention.

Law enforcement officers also arrested a Chinese man on the spot in the factory. Multiple employees have identified him as the actual controller of the factory. He was arrested in accordance with the law on suspicion of illegally employing three or more undocumented workers, and later handed over to the judicial authorities for trial. The nominal owner on the factory business license cannot be contacted now, and the police have filed a lawsuit against him.

In addition, law enforcement officers also found that this factory violated safety production regulations by failing to pay social security and employee benefits as required. The various fines issued on site totaled over 40000 euros.