Labour exploitation at Genoa dam: 8 arrests and €277,000 seized
Operation by carabinieri and Savona prosecutor's office against the exploitation of 42 workers at the forebay dam construction site. Heads of two companies arrested for unlawful labour intermediation and caporalato.
Labour exploitation at Genoa dam: 8 arrests and €277,000 seized
Serious cases of labour exploitation have emerged at the construction site of Genoa's forebay dam, a public works project valued at €1.3 billion with PNRR funding. The carabinieri, acting on an order from the Savona prosecutor's office, have carried out 8 arrests and seized €277,000. Two companies, Rbb solutions srl and Jh costruzioni srl, operating as subcontractors in Vado Ligure, have been placed under judicial supervision.
The managers of the companies are being investigated for caporalato and unlawful labour intermediation. One of the companies had previously carried out work for the Genoa Waterfront and the Strada del Papa.
Reports from Fillea Cgil triggered the investigation. Trade unionists had gathered testimonies from the first workers who were dismissed, raising concerns about the dramatic increase in personnel employed.
The conditions of the workers were appalling. The 42 workers had to return up to 40 per cent of their wages to the labour brokers. They were crammed into dilapidated accommodation, sometimes thirty in a single flat. Safety training certificates were counterfeit. Workers who fell ill were either dismissed or forced to return to the office to repay what they had earned.
Shortly before the arrests, Rbb had terminated its contract without any explanation, leaving 127 people without work. The union worked to reintegrate them into the workforce and protect them from reprisals, activating anti-trafficking protocols. Many of them risk having their residence permits revoked.
A concerning element concerns irregular immigration: numerous victims had paid between €12,000 and €15,000 for documents forged by phantom Italian companies. Upon arriving in Italy, they fell into the hands of labour brokers.
Fabio Marante, secretary of Fillea Cgil Liguria, denounced the lack of concrete checks despite the documentation appearing to be in order. He highlighted how major public construction sites have become fertile ground for serious violations of labour law, calling for stricter regulations and the actual enforcement of existing ones.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano
Source: la Repubblica