The Italian state prosecutor's office and Carabinieri police in Foggia placed two farm businessmen on house arrest as part of an anti-gangmaster operation. The two men are accused of exploitation of irregular labor.
Carabinieri police in Foggia have placed two brothers, 50 and 48 years old, on house arrest for illegal brokering and labor exploitation. Investigators uncovered a true ghetto on the brothers' farm, just kilometers from Foggia. Migrant farm workers were crowded into containers without windows, running water, or restrooms.
The investigation began after a tip on March 6 from the FLAI CGIL union in Foggia, which found anomalies in some farms in the area.
Those who file complaints can apply for stay permit
As part of the same investigation, a Foggia judge ordered a judicial inspection of the farm (based on article 3 of law 199 of 2016) and named an administrator to protect the workers. "We put the victims of exploitation at the center of our investigation," said Foggia prosecutor Ludovico Vaccaro.
"The exploited workers, who are collaborating and filing complaints, have the chance, according to the new law, to obtain a stay permit," Vaccaro said. He said one of the first jobs of the administrator will be to legalize the work. "That means the workers, who were being exploited, will be rehired and will work legally," he said.
Conditions of the migrants' exploitation
Domenico Giordano owns the farm and his brother was responsible for recruiting workers and managing relations with the gangmasters. The 24 Africans who worked for the two brothers were being paid five euros an hour, far below the national contract wage for the sector, seven days a week. The workday was eight hours on average, without any break. The migrants were also forced to pay a 40-euro rent each month for living in the containers. "Some of the farm workers had lived there for years," said investigating prosecutor Rosa Pensa.
"In the containers, light was brought in through exposed wires. The areas were full of mold and filth and the workers were forced to wash with water bottles," she said. After the Carabinieri raid, the containers were seized and the migrants were transferred to the 'Emmaus' reception center in the province of Foggia.