Naples, 7 Oct. (LaPresse) – They were recruiting and employing non-EU workers without residence permits in the fields between Villa Literno and Mondragone, in the Caserta area, subjecting them to shifts of up to 14 hours a day, very low wages and working conditions lacking the necessary safeguards. The Carabinieri from the Caserta Labour Inspectorate unit executed a warrant issued by the investigating magistrate of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, as part of an investigation by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor’s Office lasting over two years, against four individuals on charges of unlawful labour brokering and labour exploitation (three of the suspects were ordered to report to the judicial police, whilst a fourth was placed under house arrest); a further four individuals received notice that the investigation into the same offence had been concluded. According to the investigators’ findings, dozens of farm labourers – up to 70–80 a day – were recruited on the streets and transported to their workplaces in dilapidated vans, some of which were also used for goods transport, driven by various drivers working on behalf of an agricultural company based in Villa Literno. The workers, who had no formal contract, were reportedly employed in vegetable harvesting for 12–14 consecutive hours a day, even seven days a week. Wages varied depending on the type of work: between €0.80 and €1.50 per crate harvested, €3–4 per hour, or €30 per day for new workers and €50 for those who had been employed for longer. According to investigators, the labourers were reportedly prevented from taking time off in the event of illness or from using the telephone.
Caserta: farm labourers working up to 14 hours a day in the fields; 8 people under investigation
Naples, 7 Oct. (LaPresse) – They were recruiting and employing non-EU workers without residence permits in the fields between Villa Literno and Mondragone, in the Caserta area, subjecting them to shifts of up to 14 hours a day, very low wages and working conditions lacking the necessary safeguards. The Carabinieri from the Caserta Labour Inspectorate unit executed a warrant issued by the investigating magistrate of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, as part of an investigation by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor’s Office lasting over two years, against four individuals on charges of unlawful labour brokering and labour exploitation (three of the suspects were ordered to report to the judicial police, whilst a fourth was placed under house arrest); a further four individuals received notice that the investigation into the same offence had been concluded. According to the investigators’ findings, dozens of farm labourers – up to 70–80 a day – were recruited on the streets and transported to their workplaces in dilapidated vans, some of which were also used for goods transport, driven by various drivers working on behalf of an agricultural company based in Villa Literno. The workers, who had no formal contract, were reportedly employed in vegetable harvesting for 12–14 consecutive hours a day, even seven days a week. Wages varied depending on the type of work: between €0.80 and €1.50 per crate harvested, €3–4 per hour, or €30 per day for new workers and €50 for those who had been employed for longer. According to investigators, the labourers were reportedly prevented from taking time off in the event of illness or from using the telephone.