Migrants at the tent camp of San Ferdinando in the southern province of Reggio Calabria on October 17 hurled stones at police officers guarding the area after the tent camp was declared a ''red zone'' by the Calabrian regional government. 15 residents had earlier tested positive for COVID-19.
An estimated 180,000 Italian and migrant workers risk being exploited by gangmasters in the agricultural sector across Italy, according to the fifth report on 'Agromafie e caporalato'' (agricultural mafias and the gangmaster system) which focuses on exploitation in the agribusiness in the Italy over the past two years. The report was presented by the Flai Cgil union on October 17.
Foreign workers in Italy paid almost €18 billion euros in taxes and social security dues in 2019, according to a new report. Foreign employees reportedly produced 9.5% of the Italian GDP.
Since a new decree went into effect in Italy this summer, 220,000 migrants have applied to get temporary papers, according to Deputy Interior Minister Matteo Mauri. Meanwhile, he also said that the exploitation of undocumented farmworkers in the Foggia region had to be stopped.
The Italian farmers association Coldiretti said Monday that an interior ministry decree will make it possible for 18,000 non-EU seasonal workers to enter Italy. The association called it an "important measure for work in the fields in autumn."
Milan public prosecutor Paolo Storari on Monday closed an investigation into charges of exploitation of riders used for food delivery and tax crimes against employees of Uber Italy. The inquiry on May 29 led the court to issue the first-ever measure of its kind against a delivery service when it put Uber Italy, a branch of the US corporation, under special administration.
Asylum seekers and refugees have been given awards for their work done in the Royal Gardens of Caserta as part of the 'Accolti Attivi' program, during which they learnt the gardening trade and played a part in the daily upkeep of the park around the Italian royal palace.
A young Nigerian man was burned alive in Libya earlier this week, according to UN and government officials. The men accused of setting him on fire have been arrested. An investigation into the incident is under way.
Thousands of migrant workers pick food for Europe’s supermarkets every year in southern Spain. Often without papers or proper contracts, they toil for hours under plastic and the beating sun, and during the COVID-19 pandemic also often lack protective equipment or proper hygiene facilities.
The Italian trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL have criticized the proposal for a new pact on migration and asylum presented by the European Commission, underscoring that the initiative ''upholds the mainly security-based approach'' on migration.
Working conditions in the meat industry have made headlines after COVID-19 outbreaks in slaughterhouses. Investigators are turning their attention to subcontracters suspected of smuggling in migrant workers illegally.
Lebanon is abolishing its sponsorship system for domestic workers, which many have likened to slavery. According to local media, the decision is "an enormous step" in the fight for human rights.