2023-08-20 07:00:29
Illegally employed security personnel fled their posts; Festival threatened to be cancelled
Vienna (OTS) – On Saturday, August 18, 2023, the financial police checked the security and delivery staff at the Frequency music festival site in St. Pölten. They were supported by the police and the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA). A total of 53 financial police officers, 15 law enforcement officers, two officers from the Lower Austrian State Criminal Police Office Task Force on Social Security Fraud (SOLBE) and three BFA employees were on duty.
As soon as the officers arrived, dozens of security staff and food delivery staff fled the scene. They were apparently warned of the controls by SMS messages. Consistent reports from eyewitnesses confirmed that a large number of security personnel and food delivery staff evaded inspection by fleeing. The number of escaped food delivery workers cannot be quantified, the number of escaped securities is well over 50 people according to the current state of knowledge of the financial police.
Festival threatened to be canceled due to lack of staff
For a short time it was even questionable whether the “Night Park”, the beginning of the music acts in the indoor area of the event center, might open. The security company employees who had fled were missing and the responsible subcontractor had not been able to fill his positions for at least two hours.
“We are constantly monitoring major events and the results of the last few months are devastating. Employment relationships of security personnel outsourced to subcontractors and subcontractors. They often do not shy away from employing people without a work or residence permit. These subcontractors practically never comply with the safety checks that are actually required of employees. Security issues are not to be taken lightly at major events. The financial police protect honest event organizers with their controls,” says Wilfried Lehner, head of the financial police.
Provisionally 66 reports under the Social Security Act
Not only security and catering staff were not reported correctly:
Eight people were found by the toilet cleaning staff. Six of them were not registered, two people were registered as “freelance workers”, although the activity was undoubtedly to be qualified as an employment relationship.
A total of 214 people were checked, of which 81 were nationals, 24 were EU citizens and 109 were third-country nationals. For the time being, the checks resulted in 66 reports under the Social Security Act, with 48 people from two companies. Further investigations are ongoing.
Questions & contact:
Federal Ministry of Finance, press office
(+43 1) 514 33 501 031
bmf-presse@bmf.gv.at
Johannesgasse 5, 1010 Vienna
1692516020
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