A new protocol against gangmastering in shipyards has been signed at the prefecture of the Liguria port city of La Spezia. The document is aimed at fighting exploitation, including through additional training for foreign workers.
Authorities in the Liguria port city of La Spezia on February 19 renewed the 'Protocol of agreement to fight phenomena of labour exploitation and illicit intermediation of the workforce in the yachting sector'.
The protocol was first signed in 2021, the first such document in Italy, following an investigation carried out by the finance police, which unveiled several cases of gangmastering -- 'caporalato' in Italian -- at local shipyards.
The new text, which unions and entrepreneurs started to draft in mid-2025 under the coordination of the local prefecture, includes additional training for foreign labourers. The new text was signed at the prefecture in La Spezia.
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Sector generates 1.3 billion euros in added value
"The previous protocol needed to be updated, even though it had already proved to be effective," explained Prefect Andrea Cantadori.
La Spezia's nautical industry "is a sector of international value, we have foreign workers who bring great know-how but, first of all, they need to overcome the language barrier," stressed Alessandro Laghezza, president of the local chapter of industrialists' association Confindustria.
La Spezia's blue economy employs some 16,000 people, and it is worth 1.3 billion euros in added value, according to data in the 13th National Report on the Economy of the Sea, representing over 17 percent of the province's economy.
The local industrial district hosts some of the most famous companies worldwide operating in a sector in which Italy is a global leader.
And Italian-made superyachts are also built thanks to foreign workers, particularly of Asian origin.
"A lot has been done, but much still needs to be accomplished, in particular regarding workplace conditions," according to representatives of Italy's three main trade unions, CGIL, CISL and UIL.
They highlighted the "pay gap" between workers who are directly employed by firms and those working in the supply-chain industry.
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The objectives of the updated protocol
According to a statement published by La Spezia's prefecture, the "protocol, which updates provisions in the previous document signed on 26 July 2021, outlines organizational measures and good practices in order to ensure the regularity of employment relationships across the entire production chain, with the implementation - including by contractors and sub-contractors -- of salaries and rights in line with national collective contracts, transparent payment systems for workers and safety on the job."
In addition, "the protocol means to boost the role of training and information for workers, in particular for foreigners, based on the fact that the knowledge of rights constitutes a fundamental element to fight gangmastering and can help unveil potential situations of exploitation and lawlessness in the sector," the document stated.
"In fact, signatories commit to promoting training projects for the sector's foreign workers on the themes of labour security, job contracts, the understanding of pay slips, the rights and duties of employees and employers, civic education and knowledge of territorial services.
Further training projects are provided for those in charge of managing contracts, regarding the respect of legislation to safeguard health and safety on the job and protect the personnel's labor conditions," the statement concluded.
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