Austrian police uncover cases of illegal work at Coldplay concerts

Austrian police have uncovered 11 breaches of the country’s General Law on Social Insurance (ASVG) and financial wrongdoing at Coldplay’s concerts in the country last month.

The British band played at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on August 21, 22, 24, and 25. A total of 154 people were checked by authorities which resulted in the law violations and an additional contravening of the Foreigners Employment Act.

Authorities say that investigations are still ongoing so the number of violations may increase further.

Furthermore, one company was found to have €4,000 (£3,370/$4,400) in back taxes while another is suspected of being a money laundering front. Some stall vendors were also discovered to be missing cash registers.

Some of the employees checked received unemployment benefits, emergency assistance, or minimum income which resulted in reports being sent to the Austrian Public Employment Service.

In all of these cases, the country’s Federal Ministry of Finance stated that it had suspicion that the reporting requirements of the Unemployment Insurance Act were being violated.

As a result, it said that this could class as social security fraud.

The checks were made at the Coldplay concerts after “massive security violations” were found at last year’s Frequency Festival.

This year’s edition, which took place from August 15 to 17 in St. Pölten, was also subject to investigation.

“Following the experience of the previous year, the financial police have carried out checks again this time,” said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner.

“They found that many companies are still not very careful with the registration of their employees.

“Those who do not follow the rules distort competition to the detriment of honest business people.

“This is why such targeted campaigns are important and will continue to take place in the future to ensure fairness and order.”

A total of 174 employees were checked over the three days and 18 violations of the ASVG were found.

In four cases, there is also suspicion of wage dumping. This is where employers pay their staff less than what is legally required.

Finally, the festival’s security companies did not keep mandatory working time records and authorities collected more than €270,000 in debt attachments.