ELA has filed two complaints against the subcontractor Eraiki Prest: one before the Provincial Labour and Social Security Inspectorate and another before the Department of Employment and Social Policies of the Basque Government. According to the union, the company will be tried today by a court of the same company.

On 3 September 2018, a worker died in the German city of Merkendorf while placing solar panels on the roof of a farm, after precipitating below 15 metres. The worker, of Portuguese origin, was transported by van by Eraiki Preston together with four other colleagues, subcontracted by the Belgian company Enova Construction to carry out this work.

According to ELA, after two days of travel, in a few hours the workers were put to work on a roof and "without any kind of safety measure". They also have a picture that accredits it, taken two hours before the deceased worker falls, and that appears without a safety belt or mesh.

The union says they took the “deceived” workers and that the Belgian multinational outsourced cheap and non-specialized labour through the Donostian company: “As soon as they arrived they were told that they would be paid 60 euros a week.” The contracts were signed on the eve of your trip to Germany or "getting into a camper". They didn't know, it was the first time they worked for Eraiki Prest. The workers were not provided with training resources or medical examinations.

Unprotected

As soon as he learned that the worker had fallen out of the roof and died, according to ELA, “they moved their peers as quickly as possible away from the site so they don’t declare.” Those responsible for the company did not go to the place of death, who were taken by train to Donostia-San Sebastián. “A month later Eraiki Preston paid the three days he worked and wanted to send them out of Euskal Herria.”

They were “frightened and shocked” and went to the union to seek protection. ELA filed a complaint against the subcontract and explained that Osalan has also contacted the German authorities to investigate the case: “We are waiting for the decision of justice.”

The Head of Construction of ELA in Gipuzkoa, Igor San José, has warned that Basque companies are also dumping: Workers are sent to work in France or Germany in a precarious situation, “it is no surprise that accidents occur”.

A Basque construction subcontract uses Portuguese workers to carry out artillery works in Germany for a Belgian company. Worker L.M.P. dies due to inadequate safety and working conditions. The globalization of exploitation has three other acronyms on our black list.

[Update: ELA explained that the trial was suspended "to expand the lawsuit against the insurance company", referring to the company. The union rejects the fact that the data requested from the company in September 2019 have not been provided to date "by the delay in judicial proceedings and, thus, the suffering of the family of the deceased worker"]