S2 – Seasonal workers and refugees – expectations, priorities, preferences, and risks

Papers

(Listed in order of presenters above)

• Pandemic migration and the exceptional case of seasonal migrant workers

  Read abstract

  ×

  Whilst countries were sealing boarders and repatriating citizens from across the world to bring them home at the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic, a state of exception was being introduced to bring seasonal migrant workers. In the UK, the contrast to the advice given to ‘work from home whenever possible to save lives’ was contrasted with the advice to leave home, cross borders to help support critical infrastructure such as food systems. Arriving seasonal migrant workers were classed as ‘essential workers’ and could migrate unrestricted to work when and where labour providers requested workers. The state of exceptionalism that states created for seasonal migrant workers sheds light on the high dependency on migrant workers in agriculture and at the same time exposes the vulnerability of these migrants difficult working conditions, less rights than domestic workers, instable and low pay whilst assuming increased immigration control, increased health risks and more fragmented working lives. This talk will discuss the win- win-win migration models in the context of renewed interest in temporary migration schemes and reflect on the condition of seasonal migrant workers in connection with global inequalities.

• Migration and care work in Italy. The case of Romanian and Moldovan women

  Read abstract

  ×

  This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the challenges faced by Romanian migrant care workers in Italy, the biggest group in the Italian elderly care sector. According to the Italian Institute of Statistics, Italy is the EU member state with the most significant share of an aging population. Therefore, the demand for private care workers increased in the last decades and was covered by the informal work of hundreds of thousands of (sometimes illegal) women migrants. Most of them live and work in elderly homes, offering assistance 24 hours/7 days. In many cases, the elders have Alzheimer's or Dementia disease, mobility problems, or disabilities. Domestic care sector is one of the most demanding work fields, both physically and psychologically, and one of the worst sectors for workers’ rights (including working condition and social protection) (Castagnone et al., 2013). Based on a qualitative study with Romanian and Moldovan care workers we provide an in-depth description of exploitation and power relations, the migration strategies, the perceived status of Romanian "Badanti" in the Italian society, specificities of work, the emotional impact of the work, work-life balance ambiguities, the duality in the relationships with the employers, and workplace abuses of the 24h program, the relation with the families left in Romania and intention to return, especially in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. The methodology is qualitative and mainly based on twenty semi-structured online interviews with Romanian care workers, ranging between 45 minutes and two h 30 min. We also have explored the online interaction between Romanian care workers in private Facebook groups and conducted two interviews with stakeholders.

• Reducing the risks of exploitation for Romanian and Bulgarian workers in the UK agricultural and food industry

  Read abstract

  ×

  Previous evidence has suggested that migrant workers are vulnerable to labour exploitation, for example due to the often seasonal and temporary nature of their employment. The research conceived “labour exploitation” as existing on a continuum, ranging from deviations from “decent work” standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to major labour violations, such as labour exploitation and forced labour. We base our findings on surveys conducted with 440 Romanian and Bulgarian workers employed mainly in the agricultural and food packaging industry, and 29 interviews with key stakeholders. The research highlights existing vulnerabilities, pre and post-departure from Romania and Bulgaria, the impact of Covid on these vulnerabilities , and the systemic challenges faced by business and enforcement agencies during Covid, which had a knock-on effect on workers. The research also identifies a comprehensive set of recommendations focused on the empowerment of workers and targeted at UK Government, enforcement agencies, employers, the media and trade unions.

• The ‘essential’ yet exploited Romanian migrant seasonal workers: towards a fairer European agriculture

  Read abstract

  ×

  The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the public attention one of the most troublesome issues related to the European labour market: the exploitation of Eastern European migrant workers. While the problem is far from new, the current global health crisis has shed a new light on both the scale of the abusive employment practices and the lack of adequate response from the European and national authorities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Western countries were quick to realise that their food security is heavily dependent on the manual labour from Eastern Europe in sectors such as agriculture and the meat industry. In April 2020, when most of Europe was in strict lockdown and international travel was banned, exceptional agreements between Western and Eastern countries were reached, allowing for special flights for migrant seasonal workers to be organised. But after only a few days, multiple reports in the news and on social media showed the dire living and working conditions on the German farms and the failure to comply with the COVID-19 safety regulations. Our paper critically examines the situation of Romanian seasonal migrant workers in the EU, with a focus on Germany and the UK. Firstly, our analysis starts with an examination of the Romanian rural development in the last decades and its subsequent migration trends. Secondly, we analyze the labour and migration policy framework at the EU and national level in Germany and the UK. Thirdly, we present personal experiences from interviews conducted with seasonal workers for the Harvesting Solidarity project (1). Our findings show that instead of ensuring adequate protective measures, the relevant authorities are placing the burden of protection on the workers themselves: for example, by blaming workers that they do not read the labour contracts upon departure, by expecting them to procure the necessary safety equipment, or to support their healthcare and social security expenses. By contrast, we claim that the abusive employment practices are a result of the weak regulations concerning migrant seasonal labour in agriculture. More specifically, we argue that the current situation is the result of the historical focus of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the Western middle-sized ‘family farm’, while at the same time, totally neglecting the rights of seasonal migrant workers employed on these farms. Despite this criticism, we still consider the CAP the key policy framework that could reduce the exploitative labour practices in agriculture. We conclude our paper with a discussion of several measures that could be included in the new CAP 2021-2027, in order to ensure a better protection of migrant seasonal workers and a fairer European agriculture. (1) Harvesting Solidarity is a project by Asociația VIRA and ViraFilms, funded by European Cultural Foundation (Culture of Solidarity Fund 2020)

• Refugees: from transit to destination

  Read abstract

  ×

  There is ongoing debate on what type of migration is justifiable from the point of view of countries of destination, with a distinction being drawn based on migrants’ motivations. Yet, less is known about how individuals genuinely fleeing conflict shape their choice of destination and how their experience along the way drives migration. Refugee pathways often involve the crossing of numerous borders until requesting asylum in specific destinations. Arguably, there are changing expectations and priorities shaped along the migrant route. These are informed by both the local conditions encountered on the way and the groups crossing multiple borders and social networks built during migration. One factor in the long trajectory of refugee flows is certainly security and access to asylum, but economic opportunities and constraints further add to the decision of settlement in alternative destinations. The current paper builds on an initial analysis of data gathered through the IOM Flow Monitoring System in South-East and Central Europe and focuses on refugees in transitory conditions in Romania. The methodological approach involves logistic regressions and captures the way in which migrants switch their destination preferences and how transitory countries can become preferred settlement destinations amongst refugees. Our quantitative findings are then explored more in-depth through two focus groups with refugees from the Regional Centre for Procedures and Accommodation for Asylum Seekers Timisoara. The paper ultimately informs the policy debate on refugees’ flow management, by integrating the experience of most recent arrivals in Europe.

• The impact of migration for work in agriculture on migrants` communities of origin: a comparative analysis of two rural contexts in contemporary Romania

  Read abstract

  ×

  This paper assesses the impact of migration in agriculture on communities of origin by means of a comparative analysis of two rural communities in Romania. They both have migration histories which involve several destinations and several migration strategies in terms of area of activity and time spent in migration. Apart from similarities, there are also a number of differences between the two communities with respect to population structure (particularly the ethnic and religious components) and geographical location. More specific differences concern the way in which migration in agriculture is practiced at community level on several dimensions: length of migration episodes (long term and temporary migration), destinations (Spain, the UK), demographic variables (age, sex, ethnicity). In both cases migration experience enhances local resources but the way in which they are used depends fundamentally on the origin context. Demographic structure, geographical position and relation with urban areas in the region, local and regional infrastructure – these are all elements which influence how migration effects materialize in the community. Starting from the literature which investigates the impact of migration on community development, this material illustrates the mediating role of context in configuring effects at local level. For this analysis, we use qualitative data collected in 2016-2017 as part of the FP7 Temper project – interviews from both communities with migrants in agriculture, returnees and key informants for the commune and the village.