In 2023, eight Italian municipalities have developed local plans to combat labor exploitation in agriculture. This was realized as a result of the first phase of the InCaS project, which supports the implementation of Italy’s three-year national plan to combat labor exploitation and “gangsterism” (caporarato), or employing large numbers of workers, often illegally, for little money and under poor living conditions.
The three-year plan originally ran from 2020 to 2022, but in June 2022, the plan was extended for a further three years.
The InCaS project was developed by the National Association of Local Governments (ANCI) and ANCI’s Foundation Cittaria, and is funded by the Italian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. This plan is important for third country nationals (TCNs) working in the agricultural sector. This is because they make up a significant proportion of the workforce (18% according to 2021 data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT)) and are often subject to regulation. caporarato.
The eight municipalities that have launched local plans include Albenga, Castel Volturno, Corigliano Rossano, Ravello, Porto Recanati, Rovigo, Saluzzo and Siracusa. They adopted a targeted and participatory process that led to the development of regional plans, which were formally adopted through resolutions of parliaments and city councils.
Local multisectoral plans aim to ensure that the measures set out in the national plan are implemented at the local level. The latter relies on the activities of national and local institutions, representatives of employers in the agricultural and production sectors, and other key third sector bodies.
The development of these plans represents the first stage of local government involvement. The added value of this plan is that it has been developed in a participatory manner, listening to and incorporating suggestions from local stakeholders and civil society as well. The plans are provided in Italian and usually cover the period from 2023 to 2026.
See examples of union efforts to support migrant farmworkers.