SEF inspectors catch illegal workers on Albufeira building site

As always in Portugal it will be difficult to separate the licensed and insured employer for the unlicensed cowboy. Several years ago on one of the expat websites there was an animated discussion about a house owner's builders and him asking who exactly was responsible for them if any got injured or worse. His builder - several months into the job - had let slip that he had 'borrowed' another builders licence so as to get the job at the municipal. The municipal were obviously already in the scam as they had visited. The house owner had realised that different workers were arriving and going never to be seen again and had asked that days workers who they were working for. They had told him they were just there as 'cash in hand' day workers; no paperwork to connect them with either the fully licensed builder or the unlicensed one. The discussion concluded that this was common and how seriously did the houseowner want the job finished? That the houseowners 3rd party insurance was theoretically responsible although the insurer would almost certainly duck out as they needed everything licensed. But if the houseowner told their insurer - the build would stop and he had already paid the usual 80% up front - which he would lose.

Why "mounting a surveillance operation" when you find them free and open on ALL construction
sites in the whole country ?