In an unprecedented union movement, Moroccan women workers employed as seasonal laborers in Huelva's berry fields have created the first trade union dedicated to representing their interests, according to presstetouan.com. This union seeks to protect the social, labor, and economic rights of women workers in the agricultural sector, where their presence is vital but often invisible.
The new union, called Trabajadoras de Huelva en Lucha, has been formed under the umbrella of the Sindicato Obrero Andaluz (Andalusian Workers' Union- SOA). Spanish trade unionists committed to the defense of labor rights assisted Moroccan temporary workers in legalizing and forming the union.
The main objective of this initiative is to provide workers with an organizational tool to report abuses and violations to which they claim they are constantly subjected. Abuses include unfair working conditions, delays in the payment of wages, physical and psychological assaults, and sexual exploitation, already documented in human rights reports and international media.
As a first action, the union has filed a lawsuit against a Spanish agricultural company, accusing it of unfair dismissals of Moroccan workers. This move reflects the union's intention to follow a legal and institutional path to protect its members.
The creation of this union could change the situation of thousands of migrant women workers who, for years, have denounced their legal precariousness and lack of effective protection, despite their crucial role in the Spanish agricultural sector.
Source: elfarodeceuta.es