The Exploitation of Seasonal Foreign Workers in Agriculture: The Case of Tuscany (Italy)

The exploitation of seasonal foreign workers is a widespread phenomenon in many Italian regions, both in the North and in the South, as emerged by many investigations and field research.

In particular, main agriculture sectors, from viticulture to olive growing and the fruit and vegetable and horticultural production, are interested by a strong use of seasonal work, especially carried out by foreign migrants. In this framework, beyond illegal recruitment practices and illicit control of workers, the labour exploitation manifests itself through not totally illicit practices as well. These are unfair employment relationships in which the employer takes advantage of the socio-economic and linguistic weakness that characterizes foreign workers. The Italian case is a sort of clear example of how the absence of policies on seasonal workers – especially for the foreign workers - leads to their exploitation in work, with a particular exploitation of asylum seekers.

The speech aims to present the results of a qualitative research carried out in Tuscany (Italy) between 2021 and 2022. Research was carried out through 40 in-depth interviews, three focus groups with privileged stakeholders (e.g. international organizations, institutional and trade union representatives, entrepreneurs, academics and activists) and 85 interviews to migrant agricultural workers. In particular, the research focuses on the working and living conditions of seasonal foreign workers, the exploitation practises and the awareness level of the phenomenon, both in the workers and in the various stakeholders interviewed.