A joint operation by INPS, the Carabinieri Command and the Labor Inspectorate, as part of the initiatives promoted by the Ministry of Labor to combat illicit intermediation and labor exploitation, led to the inspection of 109 agricultural companies in five Italian provinces.
The checks, carried out in a single day, revealed irregularities in 62 companies, equal to 56,9% of the total inspected.
The provinces involved in the operation were Mantua, Modena, Latina, Caserta and Foggia. In total, 505 workers were checked, of which 236 were found to be irregular (46,7%).
Among them, 3 were minors and 136 non-EU citizens. 64 workers were discovered completely “in black”, of which 23 were foreigners without a regular residence permit.
During the operation, 398 operators were involved, including 121 Carabinieri from the Command for the Protection of Labour, 90 from the territorial force and 103 inspectors from the Inspectorate.
27 orders for suspension of business activity were issued, for a total of 76.500 euros: 17 for "undeclared" work, 7 for serious violations of health and safety regulations and job security and 3 for both reasons. The fines and administrative sanctions amount to a total of 475.932 euros.
As regards criminal activities, 56 people were reported to the judicial authorities: 3 for illicit intermediation and labor exploitation, 46 for violations of health and safety regulations at work, 6 for violations of the consolidated law on immigration and one for theft of electricity.
The tragic death of Satnam Singh, an Indian citizen, in the province of Latina, has pushed many companies to regularize illegal workers, often non-EU citizens.
According to INPS, 28% of the workers checked in the five provinces (143 out of 505) were hired after this event, with seasonal contracts that run from the end of June to 31 August 2024. In Latina, these hires involved 73 workers out of 130 checked (56%).
In the meantime, a delegation from the parliamentary commission of inquiry into illegal activities related to the waste cycle and other environmental and agri-food crimes has carried out an inspection of two agricultural companies in Borgo Santa Maria, in the Latina area.
The visit was attended by, in addition to the president Jacopo Morrone, the parliamentarians Carmela Auriemma (M5s), Gianni Lampis (Fdi) and Marco Simiani (Pd-Idp), several local authorities, some representatives of the police force and the mayor of Latina, Matilde Celentano.
The latter declared: “The initiative of the parliamentary commission to go to Latina, after the case of the death of the agricultural worker Satnam Singh, is praiseworthy, because it sheds light on caporalato".
Article published on 25 July 2024 - 19:35
