Sunday, June 15, 2025

Bicycle maker attempted to hide 350 employees from inspectors

A bicycle manufacturer attempted hide over 350 employees at a Mexico City factory during an inspection to verify that the company had halted production during the coronavirus emergency, city officials said.

Mexico City Labor Minister Soledad Aragón Martínez said the workers were discovered when managers at Bicicletas Benotto refused to open certain doors in the factory during an inspection on Friday.

“Our inspectors noticed that there were hidden workers. And the [Benotto] staff attending them didn’t want to open some doors. Our inspectors are authorized to supervise the entire work area,” she said.

The inspectors called for assistance from the city’s Administrative Verification Institute (Invea) to require Benotto to open up.

“When Invea arrived, they threatened to shut the factory down because it’s not an essential activity, and that’s when they were forced to open the doors and there were over 350 employees hidden there,” said Aragón.

She added that the Labor Ministry is reviewing the nature of the fines the company will face for violating labor laws. Her department has carried out 13 workspace inspections, in which three businesses were forcibly closed: a call center, a store and the Benotto factory.

Benotto, founded in Italy in 1931, has been manufacturing bicycles in Mexico since 1953.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.

MND Deep Dive Podcast: The future of Mexico’s auto industry

0
Mexico's auto industry is an economic powerhouse, but is it plain sailing ahead? Our subscriber-exclusive podcast has the details.
A soccer fan screams at a Mexico vs Turkey match

Amid raids and protests, Mexico’s national soccer team is set to play in LA. Will fans be afraid to attend? 

5
The festive atmosphere that usually reigns whenever the Mexican team plays in Los Angeles has been dampened by fear and anger.
Navy and Profepa authorities inspect bags of dried shark fins in Ensenada, Baja California

Authorities seize over 2 metric tons of illegal shark fins bound for China

4
Navy and environmental inspectors in Ensenada found dozens of bags of dried fins on a ship preparing to set sail for Shanghai.