Caserta exploited farm workers: 16 hours a day for 32 euros, threats and violence

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 per hour.

This is what emerges from an investigation by the North Naples Prosecutor's Office, conducted by the Carabinieri Labor Protection Unit and the provincial commands of Naples and Caserta, which led to the issuance of seven precautionary measures.

Exploitation and inhumane conditions

The investigations, carried out between January and June 2023, revealed a horrifying picture: over 60 non-EU workers, most of them without a residence permit, were recruited and employed in conditions of extreme exploitation.

They worked 11-16 hours a day in camps without sanitation or adequate safety equipment, subjected to abuse and threats, including death. The pay was paltry: €1,80-€2 an hour, far from the minimum wages set by industry contracts.

Arrests and seizures

Precautionary measures were 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 suspects' modus operandi. One of them, in collaboration with the others, recruited laborers from a second farm through a fictitious contract for harvesting produce. The victims were transported to their workplaces in precarious conditions, in overloaded vehicles lacking adequate seats.

Exploitation and gangmastering: a plague to be eradicated

The operation confirms the commitment of the police forces against exploitation and caporalato, a scourge that severely affects the most vulnerable workers. The goal 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 regulations regarding working hours, rest periods, health, hygiene, and safety in the workplace, and to degrading working conditions, surveillance methods, and housing conditions. They were threatened, in some cases even with death, and subjected to abuses from which they were unable to escape due to their state of need," according to a statement from the Aversa Prosecutor's Office.

The union's comment

The operation was welcomed by workers' rights groups. "This is an important operation against exploitation and gangmastering, which unfortunately remain widespread scourges in our country," commented Nicola Cristallo, Secretary of the CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) in Naples. "We thank the police for their ongoing commitment to combating these criminal organizations."