The Civil Guard of Fraga has charged a 56-year-old man from Baix Cinca for alleged labor exploitation and coercion of a foreign worker to whom he paid 25 euros a week and whose personal documents he retained during the fruit campaign.
The investigation began in early May after a complaint from a foreign citizen who had arrived in the area in April attracted by a job offer disseminated on social networks. The case once again focuses on a region where the previous campaign already revealed a much larger volume of abuses, with about 400 seasonal workers freed in previous operations.
The complaint uncovered long working days and a payment of 25 euros per week
The worker reported that the actual conditions did not match what he had been offered before moving to Baix Cinca. The Civil Guard maintains that the investigated person imposed long working hours on him, without a contract and without protective equipment.
In addition to the salary of 25 euros per week, the agents attribute to the suspect the retention of the affected person's documentation, a situation that added pressure on the worker while he carried out his activity in the Fraga area.
It was on May 14 when the criminal complaint was formalized for alleged crimes against workers' rights and coercion. In that operation, the agents also recovered the complainant's personal documentation.
The previous campaign left 13 arrested and about 400 seasonal workers freed
The new case adds to the recent precedents detected in the same region during the last fruit campaign. At that time, the Civil Guard arrested 13 employers and intermediaries and investigated four other people.
Among those involved were four temporary employment agencies and four fruit farms. Those interventions led to the release of about 400 seasonal workers, mostly foreigners.
The agents detected at the time that many of these seasonal workers lived in unsanitary housing and endured salary deductions for accommodation and meals. The agricultural sector agreement requires these concepts to be provided free of charge or at modest prices.
To report possible crimes related to labor exploitation, the Civil Guard maintains the operational telephone number 062. The investigation that led to this charge began after the complainant's arrival in April for a job offer for the fruit campaign published on social networks.