Gangmaster system: 10 arrests in Sicily
Italian authorities have arrested 10 people in Caltanissetta, Sicily, on charges of exploiting foreign farmworkers who were allegedly forced to work extenuating shifts for less than four euros per hour.
agriculture
Video: 'After coming here, I have seen the terrible life Bangladeshi migrants are living'
Lured by smugglers, Mohammad Jahir came to Greece from Bangladesh four years ago to work at a factory. He ended up as a poorly paid day laborer and still has no legal documents.
Greek migration minister: Seasonal worker visas to give Bangladeshi migrants 'dignity'
The Greek minister for migration and asylum, Notis Mitarachi, tells InfoMigrants that a scheme to offer seasonal worker visas to thousands of Bangladeshis will start this fall. Some migrants are critical of the plan, saying it offers no long-term security.
Italy: CISL union leader attacked in Puglia 'ghetto'
A local leader of labor union CISL in the Puglia city of Foggia says he was "violently attacked and abducted for nearly an hour by a group of foreign migrants" inside the so-called 'ghetto' of Rignano. The CISL official was visiting the large shantytown to activate measures of support and inclusion entrusted to the union by the regional government of Puglia.
Seasonal workers announce strike in Italy
Seasonal farm workers in Saluzzo, in the northwestern Piedmont region, have announced a strike to demand regular job "contracts, housing and documents" and to protest against the death of fellow farmworker Moussa Dembele.
In Italy, 10,000 migrant farm workers live in 'informal settlements'
At least 10,000 migrants employed by Italian farms live in substandard housing, according to a report published on Tuesday. In these settlements, basic services such as access to water or electricity are nonexistent. A phenomenon that favors the exploitation of migrants.
'No rights' for 10,000 migrants in Italy's 'ghetto' camps
A recent report states that there are at least 10,000 migrant farmworkers living in makeshift settlements in Italy, considered places of exploitation in which they are deprived of their basic rights.
Sicily: Entrepreneurship project aims to counter exploitation in farm sector
A project has been activated in the town of Bronte on the Italian island of Sicily focusing on integrating foreigners in the agricultural sector to counter labor exploitation in the sector.
Britain recruits migrant workers from new countries to pick fruit harvest
The soft fruit season in the UK is already underway. But this year, due to Brexit and the war in Ukraine, farmers had to look for workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan instead of Ukraine and the EU.
Italy: 358,000 foreigners work in agriculture
Nearly 30% of people working in agriculture in Italy are migrants and refugees, according to Italian farmers confederation Coldiretti. While most of them are farmworkers, there are reportedly 17,000 foreigners who own agricultural businesses in Italy too.
MoU signed in southern Italy against labor exploitation
Regional authorities in southern Italy have taken steps to prevent labor exploitation amid widespread reports of abuse of workers in the agricultural sector. A local trade union says an MoU signed last week aims to bring migrant workers "from exploitative conditions to legality."
Portugal urged to do more to identify human trafficking victims
The growing demand for cheap labor in Portugal has created opportunities for migrant workers. But it has also increased the risks of exploitation and human trafficking. A group of experts has called on Portuguese authorities to do more to tackle the problem.