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Moroccan agricultural workers hired in Huelva have officially established their own union branch, supported by the collective Jornaleras de Huelva en Lucha (Huelva Day Laborers in Struggle) and the Andalusian Workers’ Union (SOA).
Announced on Saturday, and timed with the May 1st celebrations, the initiative marks a major step forward in protecting the rights of these women workers and reshaping the labor dynamics between Morocco and Spain. As part of this move, the organization has also launched its first legal complaint for unfair dismissal, filed in Morocco by a seasonal worker on a fixed-term contract.
Spanish media report that this is the first known union branch in Spain formed directly by Moroccan seasonal workers employed through the Gecco Order, a labor migration program that regulates the temporary recruitment of Moroccan women to harvest strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other crops in Huelva.
These workers typically fit the profile jointly defined by Moroccan and Spanish authorities: women from rural backgrounds, with strong family ties in Morocco, limited formal education, and little to no language proficiency. The program requires them to return to Morocco once the harvest season ends.
The creation of this union branch comes just days after the announcement of a similar initiative, also promoted by Jornaleras de Huelva en Lucha and registered under the SOA. Both reflect a growing movement for collective empowerment and visibility among Morocco’s female seasonal agricultural workers.
This effort also highlights the importance of union representation as a key tool for protecting a group historically denied a voice—lacking access to legal safeguards and facing systemic obstacles to reporting abuse.
The initiative follows years of public complaints and media investigations exposing exploitative conditions, wage theft, and breaches of labor agreements within the framework of this circular migration model.
