Today the agricultural workers of the Foggia area and particularly of San Severo have crossed their arms to manifest in fornt of the building of the Puglia Region, because from several  months they don’t have access to drinkable water and for a long time their union and social rights are not recognized. This is a paradox in the region that witnessed great farmworkers struggles and important union and social conquests for the ransom of people’s rights and dignity.

 

The agricultural sector  generating millions euros profit makes Italy one of the main producer in Europe. What is nor reflected in the condition of the agricultural workers in terms of union and social rights. This situation is due to the pressions and obligations by the Large Organized Distribution or supermarket chains (GDO), at the expense of the lives of women and men working in the countryside and in greenhouses all around in Italy.

 

During the demonstration in which  hundreds of agricultural workers participated, a delegation exchanged with the regional Councillor  for Labor, Sebastiano Leo, the regional Councillor  for Agricultural Politics, Leonardo Di Joy and the Secretary of the Regional President of the Council, Roberto Venneri.

 

At the end of the meeting, the parts have reached a shared view on the followings points exposed by the USB agricultural Workers:

 

- The restoration of drinkable water distribution for agricultural Workers living in the countryside of San Severo.

 

 - the promotion of a permanent discussion table on the respect of job contract, housing rights and residence registration, that municipalities are not guaranteeing to agricultural Workers.

 

Both the Councillor  for Labor  and Councillor  for Agricultural Politics will go to visit the agricultural Workers, so accepting the invitation by Usb.

 

We are determined to make that contract obligations of employers (wage rights, Social Security, work safety, transport, etc...) are really verified. Firms receive national or regional contributions (by the PAC or PSR), therefore so they should be obliged to respect contractual norms.

 

 

 We stress that the total financial amount of the Puglia Plan for Rural Development 2014-2020 is  1.637.880.991,74 Euro.

 

The result of today is the product of men and women workers determination  that have decided to organize themselves. The members of USB are around a thousand in the province of Foggia, out of assistance and charity logics. We want to dedicate this first result, the realization of which we will go to verify, to the workers losing their life within the agricultural chain.

Agricultural Work USB - USB Foggia