The Secretary of Mobility and Migration Policies and Secretary-General of UPA Huelva, Manuel Piedra, is very satisfied with the work that they carried out during the five days that he was in Ecuador with the representatives of agricultural organizations in charge of managing the GECCO contingent.
They selected 250 male and female workers that will work in the province of Huelva's berry campaign between January and the end of June 2022. The Andalusian delegation traveled to the cities of Riobamba, Azogues, and Quito in Ecuador to select half of the contingent of 500 workers (250 from Ecuador and 250 from Honduras) that will collect strawberries, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and citrus in Huelva.
Manuel Piedra described the job conditions to the candidates from Quito.
The Secretary of Mobility and Migration Policies of UPA Andalusia is very satisfied with the selection. “These workers will go to our country with a contract at origin. They know who their employer will be, the accommodation, and the economic conditions they'll have during the six months of the campaign. They also know that they must return to Ecuador once the contract ends. This is a pilot experience and it is very important that everything goes well, especially regarding their obligation to return. If everything works well, we'll continue taking temporary Ecuadorian workers to Spain each season. We would increase the number of workers we take and allow more than one family member to work in our country campaign after campaign," Manuel Piedra stated.
Manuel Piedra during the selection process in Quito.
This pioneering initiative in Andalusia is being carried out in response to the request that UPA Huelva made for a year and a half to the General Directorate of Migration of recruiting temporary workers from other countries, which up until now focused on Morocco, stated the Secretary of Mobility and Migration Policies of UPA Andalusia. "Huelva farmers demand this measure to cover a clear and alarming lack of labor, including this year in which the response to the offer published by the SAE was a resounding failure."
For more information:
UPA Huelva
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www.upahuelva.es