The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in his speech in Solferino, on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the Red Cross, spoke in relation to the latest episode of gangmastering that emerged after the tragic death of a laborer of Indian origin in Latina. The exploitation of labor , said Mattarella, “with illegal and cruel methods and conditions” is a “phenomenon which, with rigor and firmness, must be contrasted, eliminated and sanctioned, avoiding giving the erroneous and unacceptable impression that it is tolerated by ignoring it”. For the President of the Republic «Volunteering is a pride of our country. Against which episodes and behaviors such as the one recorded three days ago, when the young immigrant worker Satnam Singh died, being refused help and assistance, clash, after yet another tragic accident at work”.
A demonstration against gangmastering took place today in Latina after the tragedy of Satnam Singh, the 31-year-old laborer of Indian origin who died after being abandoned with his arm amputated in the countryside. The secretary of the PD Schlein also joined the Flai CGIL protest, which started at 5pm, as well as the delegations of the Alleanza Verdi and Sinistra, with Nicola Fratoianni and Ignazio Marino, M5S Lazio, the commissioner of Azione Lazio Alessio D’Amato and the MP Federica Onori.
«Satnam Singh is a name we must never forget. His death was not caused by an accident at work, he was killed by exploitation and gangmastering, by the indifference, by the inhumanity of those who abandoned him with an arm eaten away by the machinery without taking him to treatment, because he could have been saved”, said the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, on the sidelines of the demonstration against gangmastering called by CGIL and Flai CGIL and promoted to remember Satnam Singh, the laborer from the Agro Pontino who died last Wednesday in an accident at work and was never helped. «We are here today, I was here in 2018 alongside the Sikh community, beaten when they don’t work enough and also forced to take performance-enhancing drugs. We were there yesterday, we are here today and I assure you that as the Democratic Party we will also be there tomorrow for a permanent garrison to ‘reclaim the Agroponto area from gangmastering and mafia infiltration”, added the secretary of the Democratic Party. Schlein then announced that «in the next few days we will present our proposal to abolish the Bossi-Fini law, to rewrite it entirely, because for 20 years it has caused irregularities, precariousness, exploitation and blackmail». «There are no second-class or second-class workers, anyone who cares about the Constitution must play their part. We are here. We need more resources to implement the law on gangmastering, we need to make companies responsible and there is a law that must be abolished, the Bossi-Fini law”, he continued.
The president of the senators of Forza Italia, Maurizio Gasparri, argues: «On the issue of immigration and gangmastering, controls are needed rather than demonstrations. Certainly the government must have an extraordinary initiative throughout Italy. Starting right from the Latina area, where episodes of unacceptable horror occurred. Anyone who failed to help and even threw an arm in the street must be hit immediately, with the utmost rigor. Without hesitation. We need to give examples to make it clear that this form of exploitation and abjection cannot take place. What is happening is the result of the laxity of past years. The centre-right government has foreseen 400 thousand scheduled admissions over three years, a serious and generous opening. Which must be accompanied by training policies and careful supervision. Which must be triggered immediately. Why can’t we hear that in the province of Latina there are 20 thousand people of Indian nationality alone who are irregular and probably exploited. We must, in the next few hours, organize an immediate verification in that territory and restore legality. Without hesitation. Demonstrations are legal. But they are useless. We need law and order, to protect exploited people, to protect legality, because illegal immigrants cannot remain in our country, to protect businesses, because those who resort to gangmastering and demonstrate that they are open to inhumane practices have no right to carry out entrepreneurial activity”. For the president of Noi Moderati, Maurizio Lupi «Corporation is a plague that causes exploitation, pain, victims, poverty, and damages healthy businesses and the economic and social fabric. It must be tackled firmly, by intensifying controls and investing in training.”
The Minister of Labor, Marina Calderone, has once again announced widespread checks: «This is a situation of contempt for human life and underestimation of the consequences of such a serious accident at work, it is an act of barbarians», she says, recalling that « the crime of interposing labor and the credit license have been reintroduced and the number of workplace inspectors has been increased and over the course of the year we will be able to double the inspections”. “Comprehensive control initiatives” will be carried out throughout the country, she points out. The Indian community of Lazio will demonstrate on Tuesday. In support of the demonstration, which is accompanied by an entire day of strike, Fai-Cisl, Uila-Uil and Usb and the agricultural workers of the province of Latina, who number around 20 thousand in the area. The appeal was also extended to businesses.
