ROMANIAN WOMEN ’PICKED’ FOR THE STRAWBERRY HARVEST IN SPAIN : ANOTHER CHAIN IN EUROPE’S AGRO-INDUSTRY On the 25th and 26th November, 1700 women traveled from all over Romania to the town of Slatina in the south-western plains of the country, in … Continue reading
Summary: The agricultural crisis is hitting the undocumented migrants in the province of Almeria. The scarcity of seasonal hiring constrain them to a life on the margins, in chabolas (rudimentary constructions made of recycled materials) and cortijos (old houses of … Continue reading
Summary: Signh testimony, former peasant from the New Delhi area and agricultural workers in Piedmont. Arrived in Europe for a dozen years he worked in different sectors before becoming a farm workerand and experienced very poor working conditionsand low wages. … Continue reading
Summary: victims of racist violence the majority of African seasonal workers in Rosarno had to leave the region. Some have organized themselves into assembly to defend their rights and to make known their claims. The violence of 7 and 8 … Continue reading
Summary: In Piedmont racism against foreign seasonal seems to reign. The tasks assigned are based on ethnic criteria and foreigners are often kept away by their Italian colleagues. While some see this as a “discreet” racism the violences against migrants … Continue reading
Summary: P. is a large food company in the region of Almeria. Most of its 4,000 hectares are dedicated to the export of iceberg lettuce over Europe. Far from suffering from the crisis the company has benefited doubly; the crisis … Continue reading
Summary: In the Jaén region thousands of workers are needed for the olive harvest. For years the seasonal migrants have provided the bulk of the workforce but since the economic context brings local workers to turn to agriculture. So there … Continue reading
En janvier 2009, un séminaire européen « Précarité de la main d’œuvre saisonnière et agriculture industrielle » d’informations sur la condition des travailleurs en agriculture, en particulier migrants s’est déroulé au Parlement européen. Il visait à porter nos analyses et … Continue reading
Summary:
In Huelva in Andalucia’s strawberry harvest is partly ensured by many Moroccan migrant women. Through agreements between Spain and Morocco workers are selected and brought in the south of Spain for crops. They are all mothers considered as more docile than men and more likely to return to Morocco, once the season ended, than those who do not have children. So they come without their families and are housed in groups often in opaque conditions. For the Moroccan State such initiatives allow to generate revenue abroad while fighting against illegal immigration.
In 2008 a group of Senegalese women hired through the same types of agreements have escaped from the plantations and their “lures, disappointments and humiliations.”
Télécharger (PDF, 4.68MB,200807_EspagneMaroc_NadiaMessaoudi_TravailleusesEtPropres.pdf)
Résumé : Des kits juridiques, rédigés en plusieurs langues, permettent aux travailleurs saisonniers de connaître leurs droits. Leurs liens de téléchargement sont disponibles dans cet article. Dans le cadre de son travail sur la servitude en agriculture et les travailleurs … Continue reading
The Origin’s Contracts system allows farmers in the region of Huelva in Andalucia to bring thousands of Moroccans, Romanians, Bulgarians and Poles workers for the strawberry harvest each year. Employers prefer women (more “docile”) and mothers to ensure a return to the country at the end of the season. This system know many abuses (unpaid hours, unsanitary accommodation) and compress the costs for labor and yet captures European funds for the fight against racism and xenophobia (project “Equal Area” or “Aeneas Cartaya “).