The return to Camp Nou was celebrated as it should be in Catalonia. After two and a half years away from their stadium, the Blaugranas returned last Saturday, during a match against Athletic which they won brilliantly (4-0). A real celebration, in front of 45,000 spectators even though the work is not yet completely finished. And in fact, this project continues to be a huge source of problems for Barça…
If the Catalan club hopes to line its pockets with its brand new stadium, via ticketing and the organization of events, but not only that, it must also face other concerns. Recently, several media outlets warned about the working conditions of stadium workers, and a local union even filed a complaint with the labor inspectorate.
Camp Nou workers did not have the necessary documents to work
The investigation launched by this authority did indeed find serious problems, as reported El Periodico. The site employees, recruited by the company Extreme Works – a subcontracting company hired by Limak, the builder of the stadium chosen by Barça and Joan Laporta – were mainly recruited abroad and in Turkey more precisely. The vast majority of them worked without the necessary authorizations. Workers who would also have been dismissed when they complained about certain working conditions, such as 12-hour days from Monday to Sunday inclusive, therefore without weekends, as well as false promises of administrative regularization.
The Catalan labor inspectorate therefore requires the company to pay a fine of one million euros, and to regularize its employees as quickly as possible. For its part, Barça wanted to communicate via the media, affirming “require, by contractual means, that all collaborating companies strictly comply with the legislation in force”. A new affair which the Barcelona club would have done well without, especially since the final work risks falling even further behind schedule…
