The death of Satnam Singh, an Indian laborer, has profoundly shocked public opinion and put the spotlight on the inhumane conditions in which many migrant workers are forced to work. Singh, employed in the Agro Pontino fields, lost his life after a very serious accident at work. Abandoned on the street with an arm severed by a plastic wrapping machine, he was rescued too late to save him.
“Satnam Singh is yet another victim of a cruel and inhumane system,” said Sabrina Del Pozzo, Confederal Secretary of CGIL Molise. “Abandoned with his limb completely severed and left in a vegetable box, he was rescued only when it was too late. This is not the result of frivolity, but of horrors deriving from illegality, crime, delinquency and indifference.”
Singh’s tragic story is just the tip of the iceberg of a much bigger problem. Many laborers live in extremely precarious conditions, without access to primary services, adequate means of transport or decent sanitary conditions. “They are people who live in a condition of serious social marginalization: extreme precariousness of hygienic-health conditions, lack of primary services, absence of means of transport, loneliness,” added Del Pozzo.
The agricultural sector, in particular, is infested with gangmastering and exploitative practices. Del Pozzo underlined the urgency of constant and rigorous monitoring to protect workers from abuse and guarantee their fundamental rights. “Our countryside is also full of similar situations. A sector to be monitored carefully and constantly, as it is full of people who are victims of gangmastering and live and work in difficult conditions from a human and salary point of view.”
Del Pozzo launched an appeal for collective mobilization: “We must claim to contribute to a change that aims to bring dignity to work and respect for human rights. We must mobilize and do it without separation: male and female workers, unions, political forces, associations, no one is excluded.”
CGIL Molise invites everyone to reflect on these tragedies and to unite in the fight against exploitation and illegality, to build a more just and dignified future for all workers.
