Italian authorities have uncovered systematic illegal labor exploitation of migrants on a farm in the Milan area. The farm and all its assets have been seized, and seven people are under investigation.
Police have seized a farm worth €7.5 million in Cassina de' Pecchi, in the province of Milan, as part of an investigation into illegal gangmastering in the Martesana area. The authorities said the case involved "systematic illegal farm labor exploitation of about 100 non-EU workers."
Seven people are under investigation for the crime of illegal intermediation and labor exploitation: two administrators, two overseers, two administrative employees, and the farm's consultant, who managed the payroll.
Workers underpaid
The investigation, coordinated by the Milan Court, revealed "anomalies in the hiring and compensation of the farm's employees" and "serious and persistent violations of laws that govern the employment of farm laborers." The laborers were forced to work nine-hour shifts at a rate of €4.50 per hour.
They were also harassed on the job, through continuous surveillance by shift managers and the violation of anti-Covid-19 regulations on social distancing in order to speed up the harvest. In addition, the laborers were under the constant threat of being fired.
A 'slaver' framework
The "slaver" framework uncovered by the police also included the hiring practice of a two-day unpaid trial period, in which the employers weren't required to hire laborers and took advantage of free labor.
At the end of the investigation, the prosecutor's office ordered a seizure of the farm and all its assets, which include 53 properties consisting of land and buildings, 25 vehicles, and three bank accounts. The court assigned a judicial administrator to allow the farm's activities to continue.