CC.OO. Canarias-Agroalimentaria believes that these arrests are only the tip of the iceberg of the conditions of exploitation of immigrants working in the illegality of this sector in the Canary Islands. According to the union, there are a large number of workers in the agricultural sector, many of whom do not have papers and who work mainly in small and medium-sized companies, for a salary lower than that set by the agreement, with lamentable working conditions, excessive hours, and no security measures. In addition, they sometimes live in terrible conditions in or near the workplace.
This labor discrimination primarily affects the immigrants themselves. For CC.OO. this situation in "a developed society cannot be allowed, but, in addition, it harms the working class as a whole, as many are forced into the underground economy and working conditions inferior to those established in the agreements." The consequences for the union are "socio-labor precariousness" that surrounds its sector and that originates a "market deconstruction", forcing all workers to accept working conditions below the established legal framework.
The aggravating factor is that these situations of labor exploitation are rarely reported, for fear of losing their jobs. Even more so in the case that the worker is in an irregular situation, for fear of immediate expulsion according to the immigration law. Faced with this, CC.OO. has raised its voice because in the Canary Islands there are a large number of immigrants working in this sector.
