Police in northern Italy have freed dozens of Indian farm labourers from conditions akin to slavery. Two alleged gangmasters were arrested on Saturday.
The 33 workers had been enticed to Italy with promises of jobs and a better future by two fellow Indian nationals. Instead, they were allegedly made to work over 10 hours a day, seven days a week, for minimal wages, which were used to pay off debts to their recruiters.
The two suspects are under investigation for crimes including enslavement and labour exploitation. Finance police also seized assets worth €475,000 from the suspects, who own two agricultural sector companies with no employees on the books.
Exploitation of farm labourers, both Italian and migrant, is a widespread issue in Italy. Many work in fields, vineyards, and greenhouses under hazardous conditions, often without contracts. Last month, an Indian fruit picker died after his arm was severed in a work accident. His employer is now under investigation for criminal negligence and manslaughter.
Paid €17,000 for seasonal work permits
The rescued workers in the Province of Verona had paid €17,000 (1.5 million rupees) each for seasonal work permits and jobs. To gather the funds, some pawned family assets, while others borrowed money from their employers.
They were paid only €4 per hour for their extensive workdays, with this amount going towards their debts. Upon arrival in Italy, their passports were confiscated, and they were prohibited from leaving their rundown apartments.
Every morning, the workers were transported in vehicles covered with tarpaulin, hiding among boxes of vegetables until they reached the Verona countryside for work. Searches of their apartments revealed they were living in precarious and degrading conditions, in violation of health and hygiene regulations.
The freed workers have since received their passports back and are being assisted by social services and a migration organisation to find safer housing and working conditions. The two recruiters face charges related to exploitation and slavery.
Gangmasters rife in Italy
In Italy, undocumented labourers often fall prey to a system known as “caporalato,” where middlemen illegally hire workers who are then forced to work for very low wages. Even documented workers frequently receive pay below the legal minimum.
A 2018 study by the Italian National Institute of Statistics found that almost a quarter of Italy’s agricultural workforce was employed under this system, which also affects the service and building sectors. This practice was outlawed in Italy in 2016 following the death of an Italian woman who suffered a heart attack after working 12-hour shifts picking and sorting grapes for €27 a day.
