At Italy's invisible harvest helpers
An Indian Laborer Dies in an Italian Field, His Arm Is Ripped Off. The Incident Causes Horror. But He Is One of 400,000. Trade Unions Are Trying to Help.
It's 4 am in the morning, still pitch dark outside, but the Brigate del Lavoro are already on the move. These labor brigades consist of members of the Flai Cgil street units, which are active throughout Italy.
Divided into several minivans, they head from Latina to the Agro Pontino, a south-eastern agricultural area near Rome that, along with the Po Plain, is one of the most important agricultural regions in Italy. Thirty people are on the road this morning to distribute headlamps, water, and a flyer with the contacts of the local trade union to the harvest workers.
Loaded with a Severed Arm
Only a few weeks ago, few people outside of Italy had heard of the Pontine Plain. A tragic incident that made international headlines has changed that. While operating a farming machine, the 31-year-old Indian harvest worker Satnam Singh lost his arm. He should have been taken to the hospital immediately. But because the man had no residence permit and was working illegally, his employer, Antonello Lovato, transported him and his devastated wife on a truck with the severed arm and later simply dropped them off in front of their home.
Lovato is 38 years old. He is now in custody and tries to explain his behavior by saying that he panicked because Singh and his wife were illegal. However, witnesses claim that Lovato was clear-headed enough to take their phones away so they couldn't call for help. Another worker called the emergency services. Singh died a few days later.
Singh had come to Latina with his wife Soi three years ago. He is said to have worked for a pittance of five euros an hour and up to ten hours a day. A portion of his wages went to the tractor drivers he owed money to.
400,000 Are Suffering
The Caporalato crimes, which refer to slave-like working and living conditions, are endemic in Italy. According to estimates by the Placido Rizzotto Institute, approximately 400,000 people are affected in the agricultural sector alone. Considering that the official number of workers in the agricultural sector in Italy in 2022 was just over one million, these exploited workers provide an additional third of the labor force that guarantees Italy - but not only - fresh fruit and vegetables.
"We have the best law in the world against this kind of exploitation," says Antonio del Brocco, the chairman of the regional Flai Cgil Roma Lazio branch. "But what good is that if there are no inspections in the factories?" Premier Minister Giorgia Meloni promised the appointment of additional 1600 inspectors after Singh's death. However, they won't come until October.
Regarding Lovato's business, it wasn't just the junior who used the harvest workers, but also the father, against whom a lawsuit has been going on for five years. Lovato Senior commented on Singh's devastating accident with the following words: "My son had told him to stay away from the machine. Now he has put us all in trouble."
When a Melon Only Costs 90 Cents a Kilogram
Back to the labor brigade. Almost only Indians, some with the traditional Sikh head covering, are already on their way to work with their carts shortly before 5 am. The largest Indian community in Italy is at home in the Agro Pontino.
Many ignore the field workers despite seeing them laboring extensively. When asked how long one of the workers has been here, he replies, "Ten years." However, there are some who have been here much longer, as your now known acquaintance with the beard also reveals. The long-term residents have residency permits and live here with their wives and children, sometimes even grandchildren. The newcomers struggle and work tirelessly for just a few Euros per hour, from early morning to late night, in the hope of obtaining this piece of paper someday.
When asked about the working conditions, almost all of them claim to have a regular contract and work accordingly. However, a labor union representative suspects that their employers have threatened them with termination if they speak out about anything else.
It remains a mystery to outsiders why the people living here, who can clearly be seen working in the fields, are overlooked. Del Brocco points out that Italy's chronic problems, including low wages, are among the reasons. "Families are forced to buy products that are on special offer," he explains. In other words, many cannot afford to ask how much money flows along the production chain when a melon costs only 90 cents per kilogram.
Trust and Confident Workforce
It's a difficult situation, and the labor union Flai Cgil is trying to intervene. The Brigades del Lavoro cover a different province each year in three different regions. It was just a coincidence that an action took place where a farm worker, Singh, had tragically died just a few days earlier.
Apart from the actions, it's the regular visits to the farm workers, the exchange of serious and sometimes trivial matters, and the joint organization of parties that help build trust. And trust plays a crucial role in the case of Singh. Some farm workers immediately contacted Laura Hardeep Kaur, the General Secretary of Flai Cgil Latina, and asked for help after the accident. Kaur, who has Indian roots and also speaks the language, was informed.
Singh's wife, Soi, was immediately assisted by the union in Latina. They arranged for an extraordinary and renewable residency permit to be issued, allowing her to attend the trial against Lovato. They also arranged for her a place in a women's shelter. A donation campaign was also organized. Some of the money was used to fly Singh's sister from India. "Soi is deeply affected and desperate," Kaur shares, standing by her not only linguistically but also emotionally. "But that doesn't stop her from clearly telling what happened. She is determined to get justice for her husband."
According to international reports, the tragic death of the Indian laborer Satnam Singh and the loss of his arm in an agricultural field in Italy has sparked concerns about the exploitative working conditions of over 400,000 workers in the agricultural sector alone. Despite Italy having one of the strictest laws against such exploitation, the lack of inspections in factories allows these Caporalato crimes to persist.
In an attempt to address these issues, international organizations and human rights groups are urging Italy to prioritize the appointment of the promised 1600 inspectors to monitor working conditions and ensure that the rights of these vulnerable workers are protected. The international community is watching closely to see how Italy addresses this human rights crisis in its agriculture sector.
