To the sound of the fanfares of Espolón de Logroño, groups fill the terraces and locals walk in search of a festive event to continue enjoying San Mateo, the so-called Harvest Festival that is celebrated in the capital of La Rioja. But it is on the outskirts of the city, far from the hustle and bustle, that the harvest is truly experienced, in its least striking but most necessary aspect. Seasonal agricultural workers, all migrants, arrive in search of work to reap the fruits of the wealth of the entire autonomous community.
For several years, the Titín III sports center in Logroño has hosted the system intended to accommodate workers arriving at the harvest. With 150 places each day, they are offered a bed, luggage storage, shower and toiletries, food and safety equipment. Users can start entering from 6:30 p.m. and stay in the facility until approximately 7:00 a.m.
Everyone who wishes to speak is satisfied with the service and treatment they receive in Logroño. Every year we try to detect problems that can improve the service. “We are going to improve everything that is necessary so that it is not a parking lot for people, but a human place where they feel as good as possible,” emphasizes Patricia Sainz, social services advisor in Logroño. This year, for example, the number of blankets was doubled (two per user) or luggage was placed higher up after detecting that it could get wet in the rain. The place has a Wi-Fi connection for the first time: “It cost us technically to bring it to the pavilion, but with this we managed to allow them to talk more time with their families, to facilitate job search. and facilitate access to entertainment, which seems simple but it is very important.
They are facing many emotional issues and it is important to listen to them and support them.
Arrate Ruiz
— Social worker and system coordinator
Every day, around 8 p.m., in San Mateo, we ignore the festivities. As night begins to fall, some have just arrived and presented their papers to register, many have already started to dine in the restaurant tent and while others play football, there are those who pray, talking on the phone or getting ready for school. .the bed. They all fight against a large number of mosquitoes which, this year, are also staying in the establishment, located next to the municipal football fields of Pradoviejo. The coordinator of the system, Arrate Ruiz, speaks with some of them: “We are now like a family, they come with many emotional problems and it is important to listen to them and support them.”
It is not easy for them to tell about their personal situation at first. Distrust and fear force them to avoid many questions. They hide between smiles especially when asked how they got to Spain or they leave the conversation when they remember the boat trip. “Many have just slept on the street, some arrive with nothing because they have been robbed, they live in very difficult living conditions,” explains Arrate Ruiz, social worker.
The Logroño City Council, in collaboration with the Government of La Rioja, launches each year this special system to welcome seasonal workers for the harvest campaign through the hiring of a private company. “The system arises from the need to accommodate people who come to work and who, as we have seen in the past, would end up sleeping on the street if this resource did not exist,” explains Patricia Sainz, service advisor. social services of Logroño. , alluding to “these totally dehumanized and outdated images of temporary workers sleeping near the bus station”.
The obligation to provide accommodation and pay subsistence allowances to agricultural workers lies with the winegrower.
Patricia Sainz
— Advisor for Social Services at Logroño City Hall
“In theory, our work is purely subsidiary and humanitarian,” recalls Sainz, “because the obligation to accommodate and pay subsistence allowance to agricultural workers falls on the winegrower.” Thus, the objective of this Logroño resource would be to accommodate those who have not yet found work. This is the case of a young Senegalese man aged 26 who arrived in Spain barely 9 months ago and who has been looking for work in the grape harvest for 6 days. “The service here is better than in other agricultural areas, they are friendly, they help and encourage you, they allow you to recharge your cell phone…” he emphasizes with a grateful smile.
However, the councilor is aware that sometimes this obligation is not respected. This is easily confirmed by talking to users. One of them works that same day in the Alava town of Navaridas and two others are brought every day by the farmer for whom they have been working for a week. The new agricultural agreement relaxed this issue this year, but it continues to require accommodation when workers have their home more than 80 kilometers away, which is the case for all those staying overnight in San Mateo and the greater majority of those who work. as seasonal workers in the harvest. “The reality of work is discussed with the Labor Inspectorate and with whoever corresponds so that the law is respected, but our obligation is to house these people, it would be inhumane to leave them on the street and we are not going to do that “, » Patricia Sainz responds bluntly.
The same goes for hosting time. Although in principle it is stipulated that the maximum duration of stay is 7 days, as there are enough places it is allowed to extend it. “Every day, around 100 places are filled, this Thursday, September 26 was the first day when the system was filled and some were directed towards the municipal shelter or the Alasca Project (the housing resource for the homeless of the Logroño City Hall), which will strengthen the system,” explains the responsible councilor. Although there were enough places, the establishment opened earlier than expected, on the 12th, because, as the councilor explains, “we detected that the need already existed and in fact on that day, there were already 63 people.”
From the beginning, almost all the people who stayed were men and the majority came from Senegal, although there were also countries like Morocco, Gambia and Ghana. For many, this is not their first harvest and they tell how they spend the year traveling the country, from Huelva to Catalonia, for the different agricultural campaigns. On the other hand, a team of social workers, with the support of the Red Cross, brings them peace of mind every evening. It is the word that best defines those who are trying to deliver some and need to feel others. While Logroño enjoys the festivities of San Mateo, a few meters from the festive epicenter, those who cut our grapes every day and constitute the workforce of the main economic engine of the region only have to rest with humanity.
