"Subverting neoliberal slavery: migrant struggles against labour exploitation in Italy", 3 Mar 2017

...Forced labour and exploitation in agriculture have been the subject of political debate in Italy for decades. Recently the discussion was reignited among the institutions on the brink of an approval of Law decree no. 2217, better known as the Caporalato Law; and also by plans at EU level to accelerate practices of incarceration and deportation of undocumented migrants in the country. The dramatic worsening of the living conditions of the migrant farm workers in these worker slums scattered all over the Italian territory manifestly goes hand in hand with the tightening of migration and asylum laws in Italy and in Europe. These are conditions ripe for the prompt reorganisation of  local and global struggles for labour and civic rights, as called for by many of the migrant activists we have talked to and with over recent years...

...The sectoral crisis has worsened the phenomenon of illegal hiring of migrant farm work, known as the caporalato practice. This system highly relies on the activity of the middleman, the caporale. The caporale is often a former worker made responsible by the farmer for the recruitment and transport of the labour force. This grants the caporale an economic profit, which is often directly – and illegitimately – deducted from the worker’s salary...

...For the USB independent trade unionist and national executive delegate, Aboubakar Soumahoro, the law leaves unaddressed such inhumane and degrading conditions experienced by migrant farm workers as lack of housing, lack of healthcare and of basic labour and civil rights. Also, the illegalized condition of the field worker makes it difficult if not impossible for them to denounce those who are exploiting them...

...The independent trade union USB has in recent years been very active in promoting the unionization of migrant farm workers, aiming also at giving them a platform on which to raise their voices, with which to participate and claim their rights.

As explained to us by USB delegates Aboubakar Soumahoro and Patrick Kondè, this is still a work in progress, which is yielding positive results, but needs to deal with a system based on control, intimidation, violence and threat used by the farmers through their caporali to keep oppressed workers silent...

(photo credit: Open Democracy)