The exploitation of migrant workers has been effectively written into Spain’s policies since at least the 1990s. Nowhere is that more clear than in its flagship seasonal workers programme GECCO (a Spanish acronym for ‘Collective Management of Hiring in Origin’).
Conceived at the turn of the millennium as a way to replenish Spain’s dwindling agricultural labour force, GECCO allows employers to temporarily hire migrant workers directly from origin countries. In 2022, 18,565 people from five countries were granted visas under the scheme. The single biggest group within this was Moroccan women, accounting for more than 90% of the total.
Reports of workplace abuse and exploitation are common among people employed under the scheme. While experiences vary, their stories reveal that the mistreatment of women migrating for work is a systemic issue within GECCO that has yet to be fully acknowledged, let alone addressed.
