Amnesty International (AI) said Italy must overhaul policies which contribute to the exploitation of migrant labourers, violation of their right to work in just and favourable conditions and offer them access to justice.

In a report published on December 18, entitled: “Exploited labour: Migrant workers in Italy’s agricultural sector,” AI focused on the severe exploitation of migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Asia, employed in low-skilled, often seasonal or temporary jobs, mostly in the agricultural sector in the southern areas of Latina and Caserta.

The report made available to Ghana News Agency noted that the labour exploitation of migrant workers is widespread across Italy.

“In the past decade the Italian authorities have been whipping up public anxiety alleging that the country’s security is threatened by an uncontrollable ‘clandestine’ migration thus justifying strict migration measures.

These measures put migrant workers in a precarious legal situation making them easy prey for exploitation,” the report quoted Francesca Pizzutelli, Researcher and Adviser on refugees and migrants rights at AI as saying.

“While the authorities in any country are entitled to control immigration they must not do it at the expense of the human rights of all people in their territory. This includes migrant workers.

“The outcome for migrant workers is often: wages well below the domestic minimum, arbitrary wage reductions, delays in pay or no pay at all and long working hours. The problem is both widespread and systemic.”

Italy’s current migration policies control the number of migrants by allocating quotas for different types of workers, issuing residence permits based on a written contract of employment, but these quotas are much lower than the actual demand of migrant labour.

The report said the system, apart from being ineffective and open to abuse, also increases the risk of labour exploitation.

It observed that employers prefer to hire workers already in the country regardless of the government entry quotas; while some of the seasonal workers may have had their papers expire, while others may have obtained entry visas through agencies but are unable to get residence permits due to lack of contracts.

As a result many migrant workers find themselves without valid papers, which makes them irregular migrants and subject to expulsion if caught.

“Italian legislation has criminalised “illegal entry and stay” in the country thus stigmatising irregular migrant workers and boosting xenophobia and discrimination against them.

“It puts them in a position where they are unable to seek justice for being paid less or not at all or for being made to work long hours.

“The reality for many of them is that if they complain about the labour exploitation to the authorities they are often immediately arrested detained and expelled because of their irregular status.

“When amending their migration policies the Italian authorities must focus first and foremost on the rights of migrant workers regardless of their migration status. This includes providing them with effective access to justice,” the report said.

It said this must include a safe and accessible mechanism that workers use to lodge complaints and pursue labour claims against employers, without fear of being arrested and deported.

At the beginning of 2011, foreign nationals in Italy were estimated to be 5.4 million, representing about 8.9 per cent of the population. Of these 4.9 million have valid documents allowing them to stay in the country.

“It is estimated that there are around half a million migrants without valid documentation, or irregular migrants.”

Migrant workers in Italy receive on average of about 40 per cent less than the pay of an Italian worker on the same job and work long hours.

Victims of labour exploitation are African and Asian migrants, some EU-nationals (mostly Bulgarians and Romanians) and non-EU nationals from Eastern Europe (including Albanians).