The mayor of Odemira, Helder Warrior, reveals that “already exist approved and are being implemented in the territory” temporary accommodation on different farms “with capacity for 2.000 people”.
The mayor assured that answers were given “strongly” transformers in the territory, on the last year, to improve the living and livability conditions of migrant workers on agricultural holdings.
“From a structural point of view and in relation to the issue that had to do with the housing conditions of workers on agricultural holdings, mainly temporary workers who come at a certain time of the year and who need decent housing like all of us, changed a lot”, said the mayor in an interview with the Lusa agency.
This Friday marks one year since a sanitary fence was decreed in two parishes in the municipality., due to the high incidence of covid-19 cases among migrant workers on farms, which entered into force the following day and was lifted at 00:00 do dia 12 May.
The sanitary fence put the county under the 'spotlight'’ media, due to the inhumane conditions in which many workers lived, mainly temporary workers in agricultural campaigns of vegetable and red fruit companies.
Na height, the prime minister, António Costa, stressed that “some population” living “in situations of inadmissible unsanitary housing, with housing overcrowding”, even considering it to be “a blatant violation of human rights”.
One year later, the mayor of Odemira revealed that “already exist approved and are being implemented in the territory” temporary accommodation on different farms “with capacity for 2.000 people”, which “it is strongly transformative”.
Rest, recalled, This was one of the measures envisaged in the “resolution of the Council of Ministers” and in the agreements signed between the Government, “farms and the Town Hall [Odemira] to resolve the housing issue”.
Asked if these 2.000 beds fall short of real needs, the mayor said that “next to 80% of these projects are new” and that, in 2021, “there was no legalized” in the territory.
“A new Temporary Removable Accommodation Installation is still being implemented [IATA] for the workers, that didn't exist, therefore, maybe 80%” corresponds “the new accommodation capacity, what is very important, because it immediately alleviates what was housing in urban agglomerations”, he stressed.
However, and although housing is guaranteed “to near 2.000 people, in the next campaign” agricultural, the mayor argued that it is necessary to monitor the conditions of these workers “inside farms”.
“Let's be careful and see how things go., even in the sense of ensuring that these people, being in accommodation on farms, they are well”, He stressed.
and expressed a willingness to carry out “the necessary inspections, after approval and implementation” of IATAS on farms, de modo a “understand if, de facto, are in the conditions in which they were approved”.
the municipality will “try, together with companies, owners and even with ACT [Authority for Conditions at Work] and the health delegate, that there is some permeability of the owners of these holdings” to “monitor, over time, whether the conditions of these workers are maintained”, said.
Chamber inspects housing overcrowding from May
The mayor revealed that the Chamber will carry out, From may, inspection actions in urban areas to detect potential cases of housing overcrowding of agricultural workers and “do not repeat” the scenario lived in 2021.
Helder Warrior, also revealed that, “From may”, the municipality, in conjunction with the “different entities” operating in the territory, or “pay attention” particularly at “housing in urban areas”.
The reinforcement of actions aims to “ensure we don't repeat the 2021 scenario”, creased the socialist mayor.
Although inspection actions have been taking place and continue on the ground, the mayor assured Lusa that they will be reinforced in the coming months to act preventively and “avoid some situations of greater overcrowding”.
“Let's try to focus on this period, even in a preventive logic”, so that you can see “that entities are returning” to the ground “with more intensity” to “prepare the next campaign” agricultural in this area.
On the result of the actions carried out since the time when the sanitary fence was enacted, Hélder Guerreiro alluded to “two” housing overcrowding processes “that are taking place” in court for “repeated disobedience”.
It is-is of “two different owners, in two different locations”, Almograve and São Teotónio, what “filled people's houses”, explained the mayor, stating that, over the last year, the chamber handled other processes, that related to “normal offenses”.
whereas it is necessary “act and act”, the mayor said he hoped that the intensification of actions could have “a preventive effect, to avoid some situations of greater overcrowding” of the dwellings.
We will “try to do it already, in advance, to try to avoid getting into situations, there for june, July, where things are relatively out of control”, he insisted.
