Washington – A franchise of the Dunkin fast food chain has been fined in the United States to pay a fine of 24,000 dollars for having violated the regulations on child labor in three of its premises in the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon, in the state of Pennsylvania.
The Department of Labor indicated this Tuesday in a statement that it violated the regulations in force by allowing minors under the age of 14 and 15 to work outside the authorized hours. In total, there are 39 adolescents affected.
The premises in question allowed them to work more than three hours a day during the school day, after seven in the evening also during the week, more than 18 hours during a school week, more than eight hours a day on school leave or after nine o’clock at night in the summer holidays.
After the federal investigation, the Akshar Ashish franchise, responsible for the three stores involved, accepted the payment of 24,332 dollars.
As part of the agreement to improve compliance with the regulations, the company promised to offer training on child labor to supervisors and managers or establish an internal telephone number for employees to anonymously report possible violations of the regulation.
In addition, the company agreed that those under 16 years of age should wear a different label from the rest so that supervisors can easily identify them, as well as special signage on dangerous equipment.
“Employers who hire young workers have a legal responsibility to know and follow federal laws in this regard. Those obligations include ensuring that minors only work during permitted hours so that their work does not interfere with their education, health and well-being,” the note concluded.