Spain recruits 16,000 Moroccan women for seasonal agriculture jobs

2009-01-19

Spanish officials and employers travelled to Morocco to recruit some 16,000 female seasonal workers for 2009.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 19/01/09

[Getty Images] Thousands of women in Morocco turned out to seek agriculture jobs in Spain.

Representatives of Spanish employers’ associations and experts involved in an EU labour programme travelled to Morocco on January 9th to hold recruitment drives for female seasonal workers. Thousands of women in Fes, Mohammedia, Marrakech, Agadir, Ouarzazet and Dakhla turned out to seek agriculture jobs in Spain.

The number of female Moroccan agricultural workers in Spain is expected to rise this year. Around 16,000 women will travel there to pick strawberries. Some 10,000 of these produce labourers will be going for the first time.

Those selected will travel to Spain on February 10th. For three months, they will receive between 34 and 37 euros for each daily shift of six and a half hours. Their employers will cover their accommodation and travel expenses. They will also be entitled to social and healthcare services.

Moroccan Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Jamal Aghmani said that the scheme is being extended to other European countries, and that Spanish employers provide adequate working conditions, despite media claims to the contrary.

"Last year I saw with my own eyes that conditions for seasonal workers are adequate," Aghmani said. "They have washing machines and all other household appliances in their rooms."

Work conditions are reasonable, National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) director Hafid Kamal confirmed. "Spain has an extensive network of mediators and trade unions keeping a close eye" on foreign workers' living situations, he said.

Kamal added that the women will receive administrative assistance before they leave Morocco to help them obtain visas. "ANAPEC is currently negotiating with the National Social Security Fund over social security for these workers," he commented.

During his trip to Morocco, Cartaya Mayor Juan Antonio Millan Jaldon praised Moroccan workers, saying they are excellent ambassadors for their country. Even though some hide the fact that they are pregnant and give birth while working abroad, the Mayor stated, "Pregnancy is not some illness that the Spanish authorities are afraid of."

Many female Moroccan workers long to obtain seasonal work in Europe.

Some of those not selected expressed their disappointment. Thirty-year-old Farida Ben Bahi could not understand why her application was turned down. "I wasn’t chosen even though I have two children. Maybe it was because I’m a widow", she said.

Candidates must be married and have children, as this guarantees their return to Morocco. Seasonal workers must agree to return home once their contracts have ended, but can reapply the following season. The return rate over the last two years has been 95%.

Only 300 women travelled to Spain in the first year of the programme. In 2005 the figure was 1,700; in 2008 the number rose to 4,600, and in 2008 more than 11,127 Moroccan women signed up.

Piloted by ANAPEC, the plan is aimed at tackling illegal immigration.