They warn of a worsening of the conditions of seasonal workers in Lleida.
The Fruit with Social Justice organization addressed 107 possible violations of labor rights, but only seven cases have been reported.
BarcelonaThe 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.
For example, the organization highlights that none of the 2,300 people who provided advice last year during the campaign earned the hourly rate stipulated in the agreement, which was €8.09. This year, the hourly rate has risen to €8.48, and the situation, they claim, is repeating itself. However, although they handled 107 cases in which potential labor rights violations were identified, most of those potentially affected did not formally file complaints for fear of reprisals. Another obstacle was the constant mobility of seasonal workers—which makes it difficult for them to receive timely requests—and language barriers, which make it difficult to understand a payroll or understand their basic rights.
Of the seven cases that did reach the administration or the courts, four were resolved favorably for the workers. These are three cases of work-related accidents and irregularities in the care of the mutual insurance company, and the case of a dozen seasonal workers who lived in "inhumane conditions" in a warehouse in Torrelameu, in La Noguera.
In this case, the organization alleges, the workers were paid less than the established agreement and lived in a space "full of machinery, without bedrooms, a kitchen, or minimum living conditions," for which, however, the council deducted money from their payroll for housing, which made it "a situation of extreme precariousness." However, the seasonal workers waited until the end of the campaign to formalize the complaint "for fear of reprisals."
Two complaints are still pending resolution, and another (in which a city council refused to provide information on the registration process) was resolved through mediation by the Agency for Guarantee and Advice for the Inclusion of People (AGAIP).
Neither water nor work clothes
During the presentation in Lleida of last year's annual report on the campaign, Fruit with Social Justice once again highlighted some of the problems that recur year after year: precarious contracts, undignified housing conditions, obstacles to registering as a resident, and difficulties accessing administrative procedures. Added to these situations this year is a "worrying" increase in the lack of occupational risk prevention in the agricultural sector.
According to Bárbara Primo, the workers do not receive any prevention training and are also not guaranteed water, since the farmers do not provide it, nor do they provide them with work clothes to protect themselves from the sun. "They claim they have received PPE, but they don't receive any. It's brutally common," she complains.
The organization insists on the need to strengthen information, support, and protection mechanisms for seasonal workers, especially in a context where their legal, employment, and personal status exposes them to constant violations of their rights.
