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A 2024 report by Oxfam, an international organization combating poverty and injustice, and the Comillas Pontifical University in Spain reveals systematic exploitation of migrants in Europe's agricultural sector. Workers, mainly from countries like Romania, Bulgaria, and other non-EU nations, endure harsh conditions, low wages, and limited access to essential services. Often reliant on these jobs to secure residency, migrants face heightened vulnerability, with employers exerting significant control over their lives and working conditions.
Click on to learn more about the harsh reality of Europe's migrant workers in the agricultural sector.
Europe's agricultural sector relies heavily on migrant labor, employing around 2.4 million seasonal workers from both within and outside the EU.
Migrant laborers in European agriculture face systemic exploitation, enduring long hours, poor working conditions, and inadequate wages.
According to a report by Oxfam and the Comillas Pontifical University, these issues are widespread, with workers lacking essential services and being highly dependent on employers, placing them in a vulnerable position with few alternatives.
These laborers, often from countries like Romania, Bulgaria, and even non-European nations, are essential to food production across Europe but face low wages and exploitative working conditions.
In nearly all surveyed EU countries, migrant agricultural workers earn below the minimum wage, with women experiencing even greater inequality.
Examples of excessive work hours are common, like Thai berry pickers in Sweden working 12 to 19 hours daily.
Housing for migrant workers is frequently substandard, with on-site accommodations like cramped containers and makeshift shantytowns nearby, lacking basic services such as electricity or water.
Migrants in agriculture often endure grueling hours without fair compensation, facing exhaustion and health risks due to intense labor and insufficient rest.
Some employers recruit migrant workers through intermediaries in their home countries, reducing wages and imposing demographic criteria based on gender or nationality.
However, this dependency leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, with few options for recourse if conditions are unethical or unfair.
Undocumented migrants working in agriculture often face even greater risks, as their work contracts may represent the only path to legalizing their status.
Workers sometimes pay just to secure jobs, and may find their wages further reduced by private health insurance fees if excluded from social insurance in host countries.
For instance, in Italy, women in agriculture earn 30% less than men, highlighting significant gender-based wage disparities within an already underpaid workforce.
Isolation from urban centers increases their difficulties, as transportation options are scarce and costly, limiting their access to essential services.
These deductions leave workers with minimal earnings and, due to fear of retaliation, they have limited recourse to challenge these exploitative practices.
Employers frequently deduct costs for housing, food, and mandatory protective equipment from migrant workers’ wages, often at inflated prices.
Without official addresses, many migrant workers cannot register for healthcare services, leaving them unable to access medical assistance.
Their remote locations further complicate access, making healthcare support difficult and often unaffordable, increasing their vulnerability to health issues.
With safety instructions rarely translated and necessary equipment often lacking, migrant workers face heightened safety risks at work.
For example, 20 workers were poisoned by phytosanitary products in Italy, and a Nicaraguan worker in Murcia, Spain, died after working 11 hours in 44ºC (111.2ºF) heat without being provided water.
Recommendations include enforcing social conditionality in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy to ensure labor standards and human rights protections are upheld across Europe's agricultural sector.
Policy reforms focused on worker protections and respect for human rights aim to create fairer labor conditions and better integration for migrant workers throughout Europe.
Sources: (Oxfam) (European Parliament) (Euronews)
See also: Dangerous migration: Italy sends group to asylum processing centers
Improving housing, transportation, and safety training for migrant workers is crucial to fostering a safer, more equitable agricultural sector.
Such practices create a culture of fear, where workers feel powerless to protest exploitation or unfair treatment, risking serious personal consequences if they attempt to resist.
Many migrant workers lack proper residency documents and hope to secure them through employment contracts, which gives employers significant power over workers.
Some employers use physical violence, document confiscation, and inappropriate behavior to control migrant workers and prevent complaints.
Oxfam and other organizations urge for policy reforms to protect migrant agricultural workers.
Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Poland employ large numbers of migrant seasonal farmworkers, relying heavily on their labor to sustain agricultural production.
Migrants also often face unpaid overtime, delayed payments, or complete denial of pay, with limited ability to seek justice for these abuses.
The exploitation of migrant agricultural workers in Europe
Discover the harsh reality of many seasonal workers
LIFESTYLE Seasonal workers
A 2024 report by Oxfam, an international organization combating poverty and injustice, and the Comillas Pontifical University in Spain reveals systematic exploitation of migrants in Europe's agricultural sector. Workers, mainly from countries like Romania, Bulgaria, and other non-EU nations, endure harsh conditions, low wages, and limited access to essential services. Often reliant on these jobs to secure residency, migrants face heightened vulnerability, with employers exerting significant control over their lives and working conditions.
Click on to learn more about the harsh reality of Europe's migrant workers in the agricultural sector.