Caserta. Exploitation, abuse and death threats for laborers forced to work up to 16 hours a day for a wage of 1.80-2 euros an hour.
This is what emerges from an investigation by the Naples North Prosecutor’s Office, conducted by the Labor Protection Carabinieri and the provincial commands of Naples and Caserta, which led to the issuing of seven precautionary measures.
Exploitation and inhumane conditions
The investigations, carried out between January and June 2023, revealed a chilling picture: over 60 non-EU labourers, the majority without residence permits, were recruited and employed in conditions of extreme exploitation.
They worked 11-16 hours a day in fields without toilets and without adequate safety devices, subjected to abuse and threats, including death. The pay was negligible: 1.80-2 euros an hour, far from the minimums foreseen by the sector contracts.
Arrests and seizures
Precautionary measures have been taken for seven people: three in prison, others under house arrest and one with the obligation to report to the judicial police. At the same time, an agricultural property worth approximately 200 thousand euros was seized.
Modus operandi
The investigation also reconstructed the modus operandi of the suspects. One of them, in collaboration with the others, recruited laborers from a second farm through a fictitious procurement contract for harvesting produce. The victims were transported to workplaces in precarious conditions, in overloaded vehicles and without adequate seats.
Exploitation and gangmastering: a plague to be eradicated
The operation confirms the commitment of the police against exploitation and gangmastering, a scourge that hits the most vulnerable workers hardest. The objective is to eradicate these criminal practices and ensure respect for the rights and dignity of all workers.
The words of the Aversa Prosecutor’s Office
“The laborers were subjected to repeated violations of the regulations relating to working hours, rest periods, health, hygiene and safety in the workplace, to endure degrading working conditions, surveillance methods and housing situations, being threatened, in some cases even death, cases of abuse from which they would not have been able to escape due to their state of need”, reads a note from the Aversa Prosecutor’s Office.
The union’s comment
The operation was welcomed with applause by associations that protect workers’ rights. “An important operation against exploitation and gangmastering, which unfortunately are still widespread plagues in our country today”, commented the secretary of the CGIL of Naples, Nicola Cristallo. “Thanks to the police for their constant commitment in the fight against these criminal realities”.
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