Controversy over undocumented workers at Barcelona's Camp Nou renovation

"The investigation, triggered by complaints from the Spanish union Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Turkish union DİSK Dev Yapı İş in September 2025, uncovered workers who had been on site for months without work permits. Many had begun their jobs immediately upon arriving in Barcelona, without contracts or safety briefings, and reported working up to 300 hours per month - well above legal limits."

""We were cheated, when they brought us here they told us that everything was arranged, that everything would be legal and it was not," one worker told local media. "If we had known, we would not have come." According to union reports, 14 workers were dismissed in early November after seeking support from the unions and participating in protests. Many of the affected workers remain in Spain, protesting near the stadium and demanding reinstatement, unpaid wages, and enrollment in the country's social security system."

"The Camp Nou project involves a complex subcontracting chain, which labor officials say has hindered oversight and allowed responsibility to shift between companies. Catalonia's Labor Inspectorate has already opened 218 separate investigations into irregularities since construction began in June 2023, issuing fines totaling over €1.87 million before the most recent sanction. Beyond labor violations, health concerns have also emerged. Barcelona's public health authorities recently launched an inquiry after a worker tested positive for tuberculosis, testing 23 co-workers and monitoring additional potential cases."

Seventy-nine Turkish workers on the Camp Nou renovation were employed without work permits and many began work immediately without contracts or safety briefings. Workers reported working up to 300 hours per month. The Catalan Labor Inspectorate fined subcontractor Extreme Works €1.09 million and has opened numerous probes; 218 investigations and over €1.87 million in fines were recorded prior to the latest sanction. Fourteen workers were dismissed after engaging with unions and protesting; many remain near the stadium demanding reinstatement, unpaid wages, and social security enrollment. Public health authorities tested co-workers after one worker tested positive for tuberculosis.

Read at Barca Blaugranes