[Music] seasonal migrant workers in Italy most of them Harvest fruit and vegetables destined for elsewhere in Europe they earn a pittance depend some people can make 2,500 in a year because you walk like 2 months you rest for another 2 months without work you have to sit and wait because from maybe Zuko after Zuko you go to Pomodoro after Pomodoro you have to go to oliv for the whole year or some can get even 3,000 maybe highest yeah that is nobody can pass that thousands of these migrants live in Shanty towns where there is no electricity no running water and no toilets [Music] [Music] in mid April it's emptier than usual in Borgo meanon near the city of FIA this is one of Italy's largest informal settlements kasu kasama is a migrant worker there's not much to harvest in pulia at this time of year there's been a lot of rain in the last few days so work in the surrounding Fields has ground to a halt to pass the time kwu is visiting a neighbor who lives a few Shacks away this is my friend I come to visit my friend I bring a PR from him um is it's like uh vinto he's my friend also is's cooking it's cooking food for for us okay this is for you all right this is the rice I cooked it since yesterday you know I'm trying to warm it and I'm trying to cook some new Soup for the to eat yeah sometimes I eat once in a day sometime I don't even eat because if I say you said you'll eat every day the M will not be enough the will be enough that's why we we have to cook a soup you eat it for 4 days 5 days only you cook every day is rice it's poverty it's poverty one can [Music] see the life condition here is is more West than Africa really because many of us living here we did not expect we can have a place like this where we come from and you find another place like this in Africa no no K has recognized Refugee status and is allowed to work in Italy but seasonal work as a farmand is all he's ever been able to find I want this life that's why I'm here I came to Europe because I'm the life I'm living in back home is not such to live there so that's why we I come to Europe kawu is 29 and has been in Europe for 12 years he was 17 when he was rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean in a small boat [Music] I'm from Gambia okay I came to Libya then after Libya I came to Italy but my purpose of coming to Italy to make things short we need better life that's why we are why we here Italy's agriculture sector relies on migrant workers like him they come from Africa India and Pakistan and once here fall victim to what's known as the aggro Mafia the Italian Trade union cgil estimates that around 400,000 people are exploited or illegally employed in agriculture across the [Music] country the mafia has infiltrated the industry korali are mafioso who act as middlemen between farmers and laborers they keep a close eye on the workers and make sure they produce as much as possible accompanying Kao in the fields would be a risk for everyone mafas are too much MAF they will take care to work later they walk work later they will not pay your money so you have to what can you how can you leave what can you do you don't know where he stay where you cannot re anywhere I have no power to go and look for him so you have to move on you go and look for another place because when you work for 10 20 days or more than that later she will not tell you no I'm not going to pay you what can you do this exploitation of field workers in Italy has been happening for over a century in the past the mafia exploited Italian laborers now the victims are migrants who are unable to defend themselves but there are people who are fighting on their behalf [Music] Ivan s once worked in the fields of pulia in southern Italy himself he experienced exploitation firsthand and organized a protest today he campaigns for fair wages and decent working conditions in the agricultural sector in 2011 he founded an organization that obliges producers to pay Farm Workers Fair wages it's called No Cap as in no caporali s is visiting a strawberry farm that works with the organization around 150 people work on this 150 hect farm near Naples for €7 98 per hour they have health insurance producer Michela Monella complies with the sector's wage agreement hello there let's go this [Music] way how are you do you have a minute have you heard of no Camp I'm I'm where are you from fasina ah Bina Romania Romania Bina Faso Mali Sagal Gambia that's how International Montella is we're a family that's right that's good I know you from last year hi good morning we campaign for workers rights there are producers who aren't like Michaela Montella who exploit the workers and don't give them a contract and even if they do they pay badly Michela Monella is one of Europe's biggest producers of organic strawberries many of the fruit Pickers come back here every year to work for him in the harvest season Ali hi Ali all right good morning do you know Ivan yes yes we met during the Potato Harvest how are you how's your family my family is good thank the Lord thank the Lord and how are you I'm doing well we're just checking how many hours you work a day seven not 20 right seven not 20 because some do 10 12 13 no no okay no no seven it's fine okay a PP I always get a pay slip Ivan s exchanges telephone numbers with several of the workers and tells them to contact him if they have any problems what's your full name okay if I can help I will your brother too your friend give me a call we'll help you if you need a lawyer see if I have a problem with my documents I'll contact you about a lawyer we have a lawyer 20 agricultural companies have joined the No Cap Network since 2019 Ivan s has helped around 1,500 migrants secure proper employment contracts it gives my life meaning when I work I'm happy because I try to make other people happy when I see they're happy it gives meaning to my existence otherwise life wouldn't be worth living living only for yourself makes no sense we need to give happiness to the people around us both privately and professionally Ivan s is on a mission to put a stop to the exploitation of workers in Italy's agricultural sector but he never planned to be an activist he originally wanted to be an engineer s was born in Cameroon in 1985 he came to Italy on a scholarship in 2007 to study in the summer of 2011 he worked in the Tomato fields of pulia because he wanted to earn some extra money the working conditions were terrible on one particular day I exploded with anger and that's how the strike [Music] began he convinced thousands of harvest workers to stop working it was an outright challenge to the [Music] mafia we were threatened with guns knives fists and [Music] more s sparked a debate about the Agro Mafia that paved the way for laws that criminalize the caparol system in 2017 he was awarded the order of Merit of the Italian republic it's an honor and encouragement in 2018 the noap organization that pushed for fair working conditions in agriculture was still in its infancy a lot has happened since then today noap is an established Network and a brand [Music] hi guys good morning come on let's [Music] go Tina abona has been working at a strawberry farm since last year she picks up her fellow workers at the train station in Aversa a small town near Naples the mini buus service is [Music] free that's not something that can be taken for granted most field workers in southern Italy have to pay out of their own pocket to get to work the black market bosses use the shuttle service as a way of cutting the workers [Music] wages Tina abona drives a mini buus provided by Ivan s's organization when it's harvest season in southern Italy 20 no cap buses take 350 people to work free of charge every [Music] day Tina and her team pack strawberries that grow in Michela montella's Fields into plastic trays they're destined for major Supermarket chains in Germany Denmark and other countries in Europe the organic strawberries are about 30% more expensive than ones produced on other Farms where workers are exploited the shift is 7 hours long including a 1hour break No Cap regularly checks that the working hours are adhered to if you go to Ian noap and you will not be explo that's why everybody must come to noap everybody must know about No Cap so that people would not be exploited in this sector here I get 1,100 or 1,150 I got you depends when I come to work if I don't miss anything sometimes I miss out because I have kids with her other jobs she earns about €800 a month but often Works longer shifts than she does here hold on conino they don't get pastries like these anywhere else either it feels like a formally the group my group even working for Michaela feels like a family she'll work for Michaela Montella for 3 months but after the Harvest he won't have any more work for her the migrant workers are used to having to scramble from job to job I am not totally free from exploitation it is only here I'm not exploiting if I go for cleaning I'll be exploited if I go for other job exploitation everywhere B Sor Ian is doing his best for this [Music] sector I love farming my grandparents the were farmers so one day maybe day when I go back to my country I'll try to make a farm it's a passion even my mother she's still farming in a little backyard so it's something that we we just love love to see the land yeah it's a beautiful thing Tina abona is treated well on Michela montella's Strawberry Farm but his farm is an exception most field workers labor in terrible conditions there are deaths every year from heat on the fields or in accidents with overloaded trucks the notorious Borgo meanon slum grew up on the runway of a disused airport fires have broken out here in this sprawling chaotic Shanty Town people have died in April it's emptier than usual many of the people who live here have moved to Calabria for the orange Harvest the mafia even makes money from Borgo meanon building houses and renting them out to workers kaosu kasama is one of the few skilled laborers here he's good at Brick laying plumbing and repairing roofs but he can't conjure water out of nowhere see there's no water here this this is how we we normally carry water but today there's no water so for now yeah for now we cannot do anything so we have a water problem twice a week an aid organization fills the tanks with drinking water but it's not enough if anyone arrives too late they get nothing ah it seem like Africa because um Africa also is somehow water problems uh you have many problems like water that one too people need good life to change that's why many people came because they not want good life because of some of the things like this the slum first emerged some 20 years ago a collection of makeshift Shacks of cardboard and plastic these days there are also buildings erected by the mafia where residents have to pay rent of about 50 50 a month for a home without a toilet they have no choice but to use the surrounding Fields it's very difficult that's that's that's not life life without toilet because every day you are eating you are drinking water you need to come out you need to digest yourself so if you don't have toilet it's not good at all ensuring access to water and sanitation for all is one of the goals of the United Nations agenda 2030 toilets are a recognized human right that has been ignored by the authorities in southern Italy for years the state tolerates the inhumane conditions the official refugee camp in FIA which has a water supply and sanitary facilities is located right next to the slums where some 5,000 people live during the Tomato Harvest [Music] but it's not just toilets that are lacking the residents of Borgo meanon are also cut off from the internet Ivan s believes free access to the internet is crucial in the slums Church he's meeting up with a man who shares his faith and approves of his mission s hopes to persuade Pastor Charles to support his plan for an internet cafe inside the church I hope that more people want to send e if you want to send e you come to send e like Internet Office you don't go into for to to go anything but you have anything here this is the project okay very simp and I I I really thank you all for the effort may God bless you and may God increase your business in the mighty name of Jesus Christ thank you very thank you amen amen I am very happy yes I am very happy thank you can you take a picture of me take a photo of me the priest and the computer I am very happy computer it's about making it easier to access the internet so they can send emails make photocopies if they need to make a copy of their residence permit or ID card then they have to travel to F Which is far away [Music] fogia is the provincial capital of apulia it's around 20 km west of Borgo meanon Ivan s is visiting a branch of a large Italian supermarket chain there in 2019 the organization teamed up with producers to sell fresh vegetables and tomato pada certified with the No Cap logo wow crazy No Cap I'm so moved stop no cap it's all regional produced in collaboration with no cap it's organic and it's ethical wow no cap products are around a third more expensive than conventionally produced products they're on prominent display in this store thanks to the manager whom Ivan s has known for [Music] [Applause] [Music] years High director how's it going it's going well customers appreciate the products because of the quality and the social aspect we live in a region where the problem is deeply rooted some people welcome the initiative they're very open to buying No Cap Goods the support of the supermarket chains is very important it allows for an ethical supply chain and helps improve conditions for the workers and also the it's all a question of price right I see around 300,000 No Cap cans and bottles of tomato pada are sold every year this is a fraction of the more than 6 million tons of tended Tomatoes produced in Italy every year mostly in inhumane [Music] conditions fairly produced goods are still Niche products [Music] in this Supermarket which heavily promotes the no cap products two out of 10 customers choose them have you seen the stop caparal products that's Fen right it's it makes me very very happy I'm very touched a few years ago I couldn't have imagined that our products would be on the shelves of a large Supermarket it's so gratifying to have achieved this result the companies Distributors and consumers all have to play their part yet eight out of 10 customers still decide against no cap products basically allowing the exploitation of workers to continue even if they don't realize it there's no minimum wage in Italy a minimum wage could definitely give workers stability it would at least provide them with a secure monthly income [Music] most EU countries have a minimum wage in Germany it was also wage dumping in the agricultural sector that prompted politicians to introduce legislation field workers like kaosu kasama would benefit greatly from a minimum wage right now he has another problem in order to extend his residence permit he needs a permanent address that's what everybody living in this place want to go and stay inside the town not here but due to conditions why people are here where some difficult difficulty of housing where to find houses and then you know that's the problem because if you go and look for houses somewhere they would not like to rent you they would say no we don't want black people to rent my houses something that's happening it's the kind of slavery that we are living here so we have to obey you have to obey what she said no matter condition it is you have to obey such because you want money so he's the one giving you work to do that's it's a kind of slavery of course it's very close to that the governor in Rome is aware that there is widespread exploitation in the agricultural sector in 2016 a new law tackling forms of severe labor exploitation in agriculture was introduced in part thanks to Ivan s he now lives in Rome with his wife and two children he feels safer here than in the South his apartment is also his workplace from here he continues to campaign for the rights of of Migrant workers he says the country needs to understand their contribution to [Music] Italy these people are helping boost the economy they're working for Italy not just for themselves without migrants Italian agriculture would be in trouble so it's the duty of the state to respond to the needs of these seasonal workers and across the country to provide them with accommodation but it looks like the government isn't [Music] interested we're at a stand still right now things are going backwards in [Music] the Ivan s wants to put an end to criminal exploitation of migrants he's planning to launch No Cap in Spain Portugal and Greece where workers are also faced with inhumane conditions that he experienced himself and will never forget [Music]