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Strawberries are produced for the whole world in Huelva, Spain. Desserts take their place on the shelves at Migros, Coop or Lidl. What you don’t know in business is the working conditions in the fields. In fact, many strawberries in Huelva must taste quite bitter. “The situation is especially unstable for women on the plantations,” Nora Komposch (30) tells “SonntagsZeitung”.
Plantations in Spain always make headlines: forced sex, penalties for toilet breaks, starvation wages, exploitation. Komposch did not let the matter go. He spent seven months in Huelva over the past three years for his doctoral research.
He spoke to about 50 harvest workers in the field. Many of them come from Morocco. Komposch said the country has an agreement with Spain. This requires that only mothers with minor children obtain a work visa to work in greenhouses.
Business is becoming increasingly uncertain
The intentions behind it seem clear. Spanish officials hoped the women would leave the country after the harvest season. It’s a similar model to what Switzerland previously had with seasonal worker status. According to Komposch, approximately 15,000 Moroccan women work in strawberry fields each year. He also traveled to Morocco to talk to several families there.
What he heard was anything but an explanation. Climate change makes working on plantations increasingly uncertain. Due to the increasingly problematic drought in Spain, workers do not even know if they are needed. But families are in need of money. That’s why more and more women are staying in Spain illegally. With the hope of finding work again on the plantations and without needing a visa.
German discounter Lidl had a consulting firm examine the situation on site in 2020. Workers criticized unpaid overtime, immense pressure and lack of access to clean water. In response to the research, the German EHI Retail Institute has now set up a local helpline of sorts. Employees can report their complaints here anonymously, after which they must be examined together with the companies and a solution must be found.
Lidl, Coop and Migros do this
The new Supply Chain Due Diligence Act has been in force in Germany since the beginning of this year. That’s why companies with more than 3,000 employees need to guarantee that their direct suppliers will not harm the environment, ensure workplace safety and prevent forced and child labor. Those who do not comply will face high fines.
However, in Switzerland the corporate responsibility initiative failed due to the majority of properties. Since Migros took over the German supermarket chain Tegut, it is now also subject to German law, according to “SonntagsZeitung”.
Coop, on the other hand, is not required to take part here and does not do so voluntarily. We know the reports coming from the region. However, there were no complaints about suppliers. But we will check if further checks are needed. (smt)
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
