Bologna, textile workshop suspended: 12 out of 12 workers off the books

In brief: during a joint inspection carried out in recent days at a textile workshop in the province of Bologna, the Ispettorato d'Area Metropolitana (IAM, metropolitan area labour inspectorate) of Bologna and the police forces found 12 of 12 workers present with no regular employment. The press release of the Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro dated 26/10/2026 reports the immediate suspension of the business and administrative sanctions of about 70 thousand euros. For those who outsource work to subcontractors, it is a reminder of what to check before placing an order.

What happened?

The inspection was carried out by officers of the IAM of Bologna together with the Nucleo Carabinieri Ispettorato del Lavoro (Carabinieri labour inspection unit), the Carabinieri of the local station and the Local Police of the Unione Reno Galliera. The workers were found at sewing machines and at fabric cutting. According to the press release, checks and database searches confirmed that none of them had been regularly hired and that the mandatory notice of employment was missing for all of them.

What violations were established?

Area	What the press release reports
Irregular work	12 of 12 workers present employed off the books, without notice of hiring
Residence permit (permesso di soggiorno)	For 5 workers, absence of a residence permit valid for work was established
Safety	Risk assessment document (Documento di valutazione dei rischi, DVR) and emergency and evacuation plan absent
Training and health	Shortcomings in training and instruction, absence of mandatory health surveillance, first-aid equipment inadequate or missing

Immediate suspension of the business activity was ordered for employing workers off the books and for serious safety shortcomings. The administrative sanctions provided for amount to about 70 thousand euros in total. Another worker, without documents, was taken to the barracks for identification. The press release does not name the company or the clients it worked for.

Why does it matter for companies that outsource to subcontractors?

The press release says nothing about clients. The case does show, however, that a workshop can appear compliant on paper and still have an undeclared workforce: for a company that outsources sewing or cutting, a suspended supplier means stalled deliveries and reputational risk. This is not a consequence established by the act: it is something the reader should assess in their own contracts.

What to check with subcontractors

• Social security compliance: ask for a valid DURC (Documento unico di regolarità contributiva, single certificate of contribution compliance) and check that the declared headcount is consistent with the volumes the workshop produces for you.
• Safety documents: ask for confirmation that the DVR and the emergency plan exist and that health surveillance is active.
• Chain subcontracting: include in the contract a ban on sub-contracting without authorisation and a right to audit on site.
• Companies and shareholders: verify who the beneficial owner of the workshop is and whether it has other active companies in the same sector.

To check a subcontractor before placing an order, the Essential: no-protest check plus beneficial owner bundle (€14.90) shows protests, insolvency proceedings and the corporate chain, with source and date. For a strategic supplier, the full report (from €19) adds estimated operating credit line and signals from the financial statements.

Sources

• Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro, IAM Bologna: textile workshop suspended for undeclared work and serious safety violations, press release of 26/10/2026, accessed 27/10/2026