Inspections checking employment practices within the agriculture sector discovered 57% of labourers are illegally employed.
The INPS (Pensions and Social Security Agency), Carabinieri police, and labour inspectors conducted a joint operation targeting illegal labour practices in the agricultural sector.
Officials reported on Thursday that on the 109 farms inspected, 56.9% of labourers are illegally employed.
Inspections took place on Wednesday across the provinces of Mantua, Modena, Latina, Caserta, and Foggia. Of the 109 farms surveyed, 62 (56.9%) had irregularities.
Among the 505 employees checked, 236 (46.7%) were working off-the-books. This group included three minors and 136 non-EU citizens, with 23 workers lacking residence permits.
Earlier this month, authorities arrested the owner of an agricultural company that employed Satnam Singh. Singh, a 31-year-old off-the-books farm labourer, died after he was dumped outside his house with his severed arm.
Singh’s death, which occurred near Latina, south of Rome, highlighted the severe exploitation faced by many Indian immigrants working in the area, causing widespread outrage over the prevalent gangmaster system. The majority live and work under dire conditions and for slave wages.
