Social-inspection officers sealed a newspaper-distribution warehouse in Wommelgem, near Antwerp, on 5 October after discovering around 50 individuals working without proper registration, of whom roughly 30 lacked legal residence in Belgium. The raid targeted Distribution of Press, Periodicals and Publicity (PPP), a subcontractor that delivers dailies nationwide. The facility’s closure disrupted morning paper deliveries across Antwerp province and along the A12 logistic spine. PPP says it has relocated operations, but publishers report residual delays that could affect advertising commitments and subscription metrics. The case highlights Belgium’s stepped-up enforcement of labour and immigration rules following the 1 August revision of the Foreign Workers Decree, which doubled fines for employers caught using irregular labour. Companies found guilty now face penalties of up to €48,000 per undocumented worker and possible exclusion from public tenders for two years. For mobility managers, the message is clear: subcontracting does not absolve principals from due-diligence obligations. Corporates outsourcing warehousing, last-mile delivery or facility services should audit vendors’ workforce-compliance processes and insist on real-time access to social-security declarations. The Antwerp prosecutor’s office has not yet confirmed whether PPP or an upstream labour agency will be prosecuted, but says the investigation is continuing.
Source: The Brussels Times
