MADRID, 14 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The National Association of Mailbox Companies (ANEB) asks the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy to regulate the hiring of professionals in the mailbox and advertising distribution sector. From ANEB they assure that they have been studying and working for several years to improve the legality of contracts between clients and companies that are dedicated to delivery by mail.

In the last year, due to numerous suspicions and complaints by associates and clients, ANEB has carried out various legal-economic studies together with the support of the Ruiz y Asociados Economistas y Abogados legal department in order to verify the irregular situation and fraud of law in which part of the sector is found.

The conclusion is that there are companies that work with the main brands that distribute brochures and they do so with a workforce that is well below that necessary to carry out the assigned deliveries. Sometimes, they are carried out with workers who are not registered, workers who are not even legalized in Spain have even been detected, says the association.

There are "serious indications that they could be carrying out fraudulent subcontracting" with third-party companies or self-employed companies who in turn carry out the distribution without the necessary personnel. Therefore, they say, a chain of contracting in legal fraud has been detected that goes from the company that contracts with the client to the subsequent subcontracting carried out by these companies. "We understand that our obligation is to report any irregular situation that we are aware of," says ANEB.

"Once the legal fraud situations have been detected, we contact a professional legal firm to report this situation to clients and the competent Public Administrations," they point out.

Currently, ANEB is working hand in hand with the central Labor Office, Social Security and the State Tax Agency to solve the situation. To this end, legal contracting and quality work will be guaranteed to all parties, guaranteeing clients the advertising results expected by them.

In addition, a Contracting Procedures Manual has been included on the ANEB website so that any company, whether it is a client, a company in the associated sector or not, can understand and apply the legal measures and recommendations for a correct contracting of services and for an effective distribution.

On the other hand, they point out that "customers must understand that the price of the services offered by these irregular companies is well below the market due to the savings in social costs of companies that do not have the necessary personnel." From the studies and reports that ANEB has carried out, it has also been detected that the advertising distributions of these companies are less effective than other companies in the sector that do comply with current legislation, especially when a very high percentage of brochures end up in centers recycling, without being distributed by this type of company. "After carrying out a memorized study, we can intuit that between 30 and 35 percent of the brochures end up in a recycling center," they point out.

ANEB claims to have contacted the main brands that distribute brochures to explain the current situation. However, they have not shown any interest in solving the problem. "Many of the clients only focus on contracting the services at the cheapest price, a price that is also not updated year after year," they say and claim to be aware that there are "frozen" prices since 2010.

"The delivery companies are contracting with Clients and Distributors, knowing that they are evading the law, but they do it to be able to work, with the prices set by the big Brands and Distributors, prices well below the market value" , point out from ANEB and add that "this situation is enormously detrimental for mailbox companies, especially with the large increases in costs that companies have had to date, the increase in the CPI... the sector is not sustained and that leads to there is a situation of job insecurity and legal irregularities”. For this reason, the association that advises that a sale price be established according to business costs, and that they not work below these, since the one who fails to comply with Labor regulations is the delivery company.

ANEB states that "if the situation continues in the same way it will lead to the disappearance of the sector, the liquidation of companies and the irremediable dismissal of thousands of workers who are dedicated to professional mailboxes". For the sector, it is necessary to regularize the situation with fair prices for services, in line with market prices.

Of the works carried out by ANEB, the aim is to ensure that all companies in the sector compete on equal terms. If the current problem is solved, the mailbox sector will continue to be a fundamental piece in the advertising of each company. Investment in this type of advertising can lead to significant economic returns as long as the distribution is carried out efficiently, with total quality and legal security.

“We encourage all our clients to invest in advertising through professional mailing. As in any other sector, it is important to investigate the legality of the company in which you acquire the services, its financial solvency and the personnel employed by it”, they conclude.

ANEB will continue working to ensure that all companies in the sector are in an adequate legal situation and that all of them can compete on equal terms for the provision of their services, ensuring that the services provided are efficient and solvent.