Covid-19: Caritas asks for
rights for migrant farm workers
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| Farm workers pick asparagus in Spain |
Oranges and strawberries rotting in the fields, empty
shelves in our supermarkets, and 'invisible' workers living in unsanitary
conditions putting their own- and society's - safety at risk, is a reality
Caritas Europa is asking EU member states to address by recognizing the rights
of migrant farm workers.
By Linda Bordoni
One very vulnerable group of workers highlighted by the
coronavirus emergency is that of migrant farmworkers, especially seasonal
undocumented migrant workers, who have no socio-economic protection or legal
rights.
Their plight is particularly dramatic during the current
Covid-19 emergency as most, fearing repatriation, remain undetected and live in
unsanitary conditions that are dangerous for themselves and society at large.
Caritas Europa and its member organisations have repeatedly
denounced the exploitation of migrant workers and are calling on states to
ensure that their rights are respected, that they are provided with decent
working conditions, and granted immediate legal papers to remain in Europe.
And, as Leila Bodeux, Policy Officer at Caritas
Europa explains, the pandemic is also impacting food supply chains throughout
Europe, underscoring how acutely the EU’s agricultural system depends on
migrant workers as vast amounts of fruits and vegetables are at risk of being
left unpicked.
Bodeux said that the Covid-19 crisis has shown to what
extent we rely on migrant labourers to work in the fields and collect the
harvests. In fact, due to Covid-19 protection measures and to travel
restrictions, several European countries are facing severe agricultural produce
loss because of the lack of seasonal workers and the farming sector is
struggling.
“This is one of the problems that has been highlighted in
many countries. For example, in France there is the need for 200,000 seasonal
workers in the next 3 months,” she noted.
Exploited workers
Next to that, Bodeux continued, “there is a pool of
undocumented migrants who have been living and working in countries like Italy,
or Spain for many years, working in the fields and being exploited
there.”
These are very vulnerable people, she explained, who can't
work because of Covid related measures and one of the things Caritas Europa is
asking is that they be granted the legal status to be able to work, within a
regulated system and in decent conditions, because at the moment, although they
are key to our economies, they are undeclared workers falling through the
cracks.
“Some of them are legal migrants, but many of them are
illegal migrants coming from countries in Africa; they are used to work in a kind
of ‘invisible’ way, but now, because of Covid-19, they are afraid of being
apprehended by the police because they are unable to respect the physical
distancing measures, and so they are hiding in very horrible shantytowns,” she
said.
What’s more, Bodeux added, travel restrictions have added to
the shortage of seasonal workforce, coming from countries like Romania.
An austrian farmer works in a field without the help of seasonal
workers
A multi-faceted problem
It’s a multi-faceted problem, she said, on one hand, the
workers themselves have no rights and no protection, on the other, the
agricultural sector is suffering because of a lack of workforce, and our
societies feel the effects because produce is not getting picked and
distributed to our shops.
Caritas Europa calling for bold and permanent measures
Bodeux explained that the issues related to regularization
of labour belong to the realm of individual national states “because they have
the legal capacity” that is needed, so it is to them that Caritas Europa is
directing its message.
But, she said, “it is also a Pan-European issue with
systematic problems, so we are not calling just on Italy or Spain, but on
different countries facing similar problems to start looking at regularization
possibilities.”
“We have the good example of Portugal that has granted
temporary citizen rights to immigrants and asylum seekers until 1 July; this is
a temporary measure, it is welcome, but we would like to have bolder and more
permanent measures,” she said.
A win-win solution
Another important aspect to be considered, she said, is the
fact that the regularization of people who have been working for many years and
contributing to our economies, would have far-reaching positive effects.
“One thing the Covid-19 crisis has made evident is how
migrants, undocumented or legal, contribute positively to our lives, to our
economy, to our food system”, Bodeux concluded, and if they were able to work
legally and contribute to our tax systems and therefore finance our welfare systems,
it would be a win-win solution for all.
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