Seasonal migrant work in Europe

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Seasonal migrant work in Europe

• some Observations

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observations
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A map
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Exploitation or modern slavery ?

• Working conditions (Almeria, Spain)
• 40 000 hectares of plastic greenhouses
• 20 euros a day extra hours
• No payment of extra-hours/social insurance
• Growers pressures ? non-recognition
  experience/skills

• Living conditions (Almeria, Spain)
• 15 in cortijos (120 rent sometimes)
• Chabolas, plastic houses
• Not allowed to go out exploitation/housing place
• Shantytown

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A reserved workers army for the profit of whom ?
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economical aims

• Economic purpose
• Cheap food on markets
• Competitiveness
• ? Labor 55 of direct cost (Roux 2008)
• adjustment variable
• Agriculture development trend for farmers,
  requirement to survive coping with exaggerated
  low prices

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A chosen, temporary, available and disposable
hiring

• Cheap and disposable labor force
• No welfare payements

• Obedient and disposable labor force
• From restrictive countries towards liberties
  (Maurice and Michallon 2008)
• No longer stay in the country ? ex women with
  children
• Temporary work agency about women
• they are more careful with the harvest, they are
  less rebellious and more hard-working

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A new kind of actors in the race for profits ?

• Needed in this special work force ? go-between
  fact development. . workers cooperatives,
  temporary working agency .

• Canelli, Piemonte case study
• 15  workers cooperatives  only in one village
• Led by Macedonians for day working in vineyards
  with Macedonians
• No offices, work with cell phones, pick-up
  workers on car park
• Delay wages
• re-open with different name each year

• Terra Fecundis (Spanish agency)
• More or less the same way of action at larger
  scale
• 2000 workers, extra and EEA nationals, for
  France, Italy

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Way of actions ?

• Claiming for a different way of agricultural
  production
• ? Based on a peasant model which recognised
  workers right and fair wages for both

• Involving migrant workers in unions
• Defending their rights
• Formation and informations

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• Confédération Paysanne (dir.)  Agriculture
  industrielle et servitude en Europe  Campagne
  solidaire (Confédération Paysannes Monthly
  revue) Juillet 2011
• Etudes rurales (2008)  Travailleurs saisonniers
  dans lagriculture européenne n182, Editions
  de lEHESS
• Peasant agriculture and seasonal migrant workers
  (volunteers blog)
• http//www.agricultures-migrations.org/
• Pictures
• From volunteers (Cabiria Chomel, Charlotte Garda,
  Julie Chierichietti)
• Map
• Charlotte garda in  agriculture industrielle et
  servitude en Europe