Not 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.

On the death in Alcarràs of a seasonal worker harvesting fruit There is, first of all, the personal tragedy of someone who, at 61 years old, was forced into extremely hard work and was denied permission to go home when he declared he felt ill. He was only allowed to rest in the shade of a tree. Gheorghe Vranciu died there, alone. The temperature in the Alcarràs area had exceeded 40 degrees. Legally, it is not mandatory to stop work in the fields in situations of extreme heat. It is only recommended. Therefore, there is no legal liability for the employer. Another thing is the moral burden he will now bear. In any case, Vranciu's son reports that the company "took more than two hours to call the ambulance." Beyond legality, job insecurity also has to do with this apparently careless, or even negligent, treatment.

A seasonal worker died this Monday afternoon while harvesting fruit on a farm in Alcarràs, in the Segrià region, according to ACN reports and ARA. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) were alerted around 4:45 p.m., coinciding with the peak of the heat wave and when the temperature in the municipality was around 41 degrees. According to ACN, the man reportedly became dizzy and began to feel ill. Emergency Medical System (SEM) officers were dispatched to a nearby farm where the seasonal worker was working, but when they arrived, he showed no vital signs and they were unable to revive him.

The organization Fruta amb Justícia Social (Fruit with Social Justice), which defends the rights of itinerant workers in agricultural campaigns, denounced this Thursday an increase in job insecurity and warned that many seasonal workers in Lleida still do not report violations of their rights, even though they are recognized in labor agreements. The main reason for this underreporting is the fear of losing their jobs, as most of these employees face financial difficulties, lack family support networks in Ponent, or basic guarantees such as housing or registration.