SPAIN’s agriculture sector is set to benefit from Pedro Sanchez’s migrant regularisation scheme.
The sector has already applauded the regularisation of half a million migrants being passed by the government with the hope that it will help the labour shortage that is greatly affecting their industry.
Spanish agriculture needs workers as the risk of crop failure is present in some harvests with some sources estimating that ‘several thousand’ individuals are needed to stop plants going unharvested, according to Efe.
This new government measure will help as it will allow migrants to work in the industry under a ‘dignified contract,’ say agricultural organisation UPA.
This will contribute to sustaining present and future welfare, it added.
With summer fruit campaigns about to begin, the regularisation will be a ‘good solution’ to agricultural issues with Andres Gongora, from COAG, recognising that ‘it will alleviate the tension that has happened in some agricultural campaigns in a very important way’.
It is known that people often look for farm work without the ‘proper paperwork’ meaning that ‘the industry can’ offer them jobs’. A point explained by Carlos Vicente who is responsible for economy and social security at the agricultural organisation Union de Uniones.
Now regularised workers will be able to be bought in, a move that could benefit between 150,000 and 200,000 foreigners that currently work in irregular farming situations.
READ MORE: Spain’s government approves amnesty that could apply to around half-a-million illegal immigrants
In February there were already 250,532 foreigners affiliated to the Sistema Especial Grario (SEA) with the majority of those, 202,696, coming from countries outside of the European Union.
Newly regulated workers will be able to access contracts and dignified working conditions in compliance with the Ley de prevencion de los riesgos laborales (law preventing workplace risks).
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