The "invisible" reality of seasonal workers in the Empordà region: 1,700 migrant workers struggling to find shelter.

Saint Peter the FishermanNot only in the lands of Seasonal workers come to Lleida to work for a few months to harvest fruit.In Girona, during the apple harvest season, hundreds of foreigners also arrive to work in the fields of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of Manzana de Girona (Girona Apple) in the Baix and Alt Empordà regions. There are approximately 1,700 workers from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, who concentrate mainly in September and October, when activity is at its most intense. They join the 1,200 who are permanent employees year-round. Most arrive through the recruitment process at their country of origin, with a permit issued by the immigration office of the Spanish government sub-delegation. They often return from one year to the next, recruited by the farmers with whom they usually work.

Sant Pere Pescador is one of the municipalities most affected by the arrival of seasonal workers. It is a coastal town of about 2,000 inhabitants, focused on beach tourism and sailing sports. For two months, it welcomes nearly 500 workers from the Alto Empordà fields, who, overnight, completely transform the urban landscape. In October, it is common to come across dozens of workers of African origin living on the streets in tents or small camps near the fields. The reason is the endemic problem of a lack of housing in the area, which, added to real estate racism The limited economic capacity of seasonal workers means that many of them live for weeks outdoors or in overcrowded substandard housing. This is reflected in the conclusions—still pending public release—of an extensive study prepared by the University of Girona (UdG), in collaboration with social organizations and public institutions, which aims to "make visible" the problems of seasonal workers in Girona, who are far fewer in number than those in Lleida, but who are equally in precarious situations.

"In Sant Pere Pescador, we have been providing a shower, laundry, and catering service since 2020 at the Civic Center through the Red Cross, which allows us to provide basic care to workers who come to the region to earn a living," explains Agustí Badosa, the mayor of the municipality. However, local councils and business owners in the sector argue that, without support from supra-municipal governments, they cannot offer alternatives in the form of shelters or social housing and are asking the Departments of Business, Housing, Agriculture, and Social Rights to take the initiative.

In Baix Empordà, on the other hand, homelessness and substandard housing among seasonal workers is less common, as the workers are more spread out and, as they repeat their summer contracts, they arrange their accommodation further in advance.

Convert warehouses into seasonal housing

One of the proposals from the producers of Manzana de Girona, who must provide accommodation for their workers (whatever it may be) in order to obtain permission from the Ministry to hire them, is to be able to build rooms in the free spaces of their warehouses: "Finding rooms in August on the Costa Brava is almost impossible and that is why we ask that each producer take charge of their seasonal workers, Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Manzana de Girona. However, the administration is currently reluctant to grant permits for these renovations.

Beyond the residential issue, precarious working conditions are the other battleground for farm workers. The collective agreement Agropecuari de Catalunya sets a minimum wage of 8.84 euros per hour and the organization defending the rights of seasonal workers, Fruita con Justícia Social, reports that, in Girona regions, in many cases wages are below this standard. However, representatives of the PGI Manzana de Girona assure that all contracts are Within the law, since they work with large retail clients like supermarkets, which require them to undergo very strict audits to ensure the product's origin.