The Paeria de Lleida will open pavilion three of Fira de Lleida tomorrow as a reception center for seasonal workers during the fruit harvest campaign, with a capacity for 100 people and planned operation until August 31. The space will offer a dining room, laundry, lockers, and showers, and will limit stays to a maximum of seven days.
The central change in the plan is not in the expected volume of arrivals, but in who will have access to more stable accommodation. The city council will maintain that the number of seasonal workers will not increase compared to previous years, but will give priority at La Caparrella and in municipal apartments to those who work in l'Horta or find employment through municipal services.
The Paeria will prioritize those who work in l'Horta
Carlos Enjuanes, deputy mayor for Social Action and Innovation, explained that accommodation at the La Caparrella Seasonal Worker Attention Center and in municipal apartments will be preferentially reserved for people linked to the campaign through employment. The municipal objective is to reduce the presence on the streets of those who already have a contract or obtain one through the intermediation service.
"Those who work in l'Horta and have found employment through our service will be highly prioritized, because we want to minimize the street presence of these people, who will be able to stay there as long as they have a contract." - Carlos Enjuanes, deputy mayor for Social Action and Innovation, Paeria de Lleida
In addition to the exhibition pavilion, the operation includes 16 municipal apartments with 90 places, the La Caparrella center with 32, and the Seròs hostel with 40. A dozen people have already been referred to the latter facility.
In the municipal apartments and at La Caparrella, the cost of accommodation will be five euros per day. The one-stop service office will remain at Mercolleida until the 12th and will then move to pavilion three.
The city council expects less social coverage and more regular hiring
Enjuanes identified the administrative status of the people being assisted as one of the keys to this campaign. The city council estimates that the overall number will not grow, but the profile of those arriving at the municipal service may change.
"In 2025, 400 of the 1,000 people we assisted were undocumented, and this year we expect a good portion of these, or all of them, to have papers so that we can provide them with labor, not social, coverage." - Carlos Enjuanes, deputy mayor for Social Action and Innovation, Paeria de Lleida
That approach connects access to accommodation with hiring in the fruit campaign. Pavilion three will function as an entry and initial attention point, while resources with more continuity will be oriented towards those who are already working on farms in l'Horta or enter the labor market through the consistory.
The single point of contact office will leave Mercolleida after the 12th and will move to pavilion three of the Fira de Lleida, which will open from tomorrow with 100 places and will maintain a maximum stay of seven days until August 31.