Abstract

The essay analyses the nature of the labour market in agricolture, featured on one side by enterprises with demands of seasonal and casual work, on the other side by workers in a weaker bargaining position, underqualified, without alternative employment opportunities, for the most part composed of immigrant workers, prepared to undertake low-paid jobs, without any protection. The Author highlights that in the last few years the agricultural and trade policies have increased competitive pressure on agricultural enterprises, inducing them to pursue a cost-containment policy; in particular, the essay analyses the negative effects which have followed, as labour exploitation and gang-master system and the legal and contractual tools available to tackle these phenomena and protect workers employed for an agricultural labour market socially sustainable.