Titolari e riservisti. L’inclusione differenziale di lavoratori immigrati nella viticultura del Sud Piemonte

The article is focused on seasonal immigration related to the harvest period and to the productive cycle of the wine farms in some areas of Southern Piedmont, paying special attention to the city of Canelli. Here the employment of foreign labour, mostly from Macedonia, has been accompanied by a general deterioration of working conditions in the vineyards and to a spread of exploitation. Many agricultural cooperatives - almost all run by immigrants - operate as intermediaries for the placement of foreign labour. These cooperatives often disregard law devices and charge the cost of labour at the lowest price, satisfying the demand from local companies and penalizing foreign workers. The exploitation of these immigrants is analysed by authors taking into account the progressive differentiation between Macedonians established permanently on the territory in the last years and migrant workers who arrive according to the seasonal nature of agricultural activities. Secondly, the conditions of employment and stay of seasonal workers are read according to the specific local regulation of socio-economic relations, which is influenced by the wine production specifications, the persistence of tradition and other recent changes occurred in the local context. Finally, a last analysis concerns actions, interests, and reactions of the main players of the place, primarily administrators and economic operators of Canelli.

Keywords: Seasonal migration; Migrant agricultural labour; Differential inclusion; Macedonian immigrants; Wine production chain.