On the occasion of Labour Day, 1 May 2025, we issue the Sevilla Manifesto to draw attention to – and inspiration from – the experiences of struggle and resistance of migrant workers across Europe and in Andalucia in particular. The Manifesto builds on key conclusions and recommendations from the meeting “Learnings on the Organization of Migrant Workers”, which took place in Seville in 2024, and brought together 12 migrant-led associations working in Andalucia, with 15 other migrants’ rights organisations from 10 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Malta, Greece, Poland, UK, Germany, Spain, Cyprus, and the Netherlands)..Organised by PICUM, Mujeres Supervivientes and Andalucia Acoge, the workshop focused on the multiple experiences of struggle and resistance of migrant workers in different sectors in Andalucia – such as domestic work and care, agriculture, and hospitality – , and considered how these experiences are mirrored and differ across the EU. We highlight how mutual support networks are being woven by people in neighbourhoods and villages, and how all these experiences, which are born from living in hostile contexts, manage to bring dignity and advances in rights to their members.

This manifesto reflects inputs from all participants, setting on key conclusions and recommendations.

Multiple obstacles to access rights and associated services: On a daily basis, migrants face barriers to access information, civil registration, services and regularisation that violate their fundamental rights. The lack of an intersectional perspective ignores how various oppressions and/or situations interact, creating further exclusion.

These barriers are compounded by racial discrimination and structural violence, both social and institutional, which perpetuate inequalities and lead to rights violations such as lack of labour contracts, access to justice, and decent housing, where systematic rejections of rental applications are common. In this context, one of the most severe situations is the precarious conditions in settlements where agricultural workers live, reflecting a reality of structural violence in Andalusia. In education, migrant children face bullying, while the qualifications and knowledge of professionals are delegitimized, relegating them to low-paying and exploitative jobs.

Exploitation in the workplace: The exploitation is alarming: extremely long working hours, wages below minimum standards and frequently withheld and stolen by employers, lack of contracts, and the absence of safety measures are all common. Migrant women, in particular, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and threats. This is further complicated by language barriers, which hinder communication in essential services, and a lack of information about rights and available resources, leaving many in situations of extreme vulnerability. The fear of retaliation and/or deportation paralyzes those who wish to report abuses and seek remedy through formal mechanisms. It also further renders their specific realities invisible, such as those of LGBTQIA+ migrants.

The strength of resistance and alliances: Despite this bleak picture, the strength of the collective emerges as a possibility for political and human alliances full of hope, the kind of hope that sustains and drives struggle. Community networks and alliances have shown that collective work allows resistance and demands for change. The so-called “juntanzas” (gatherings) are empowerment spaces where stories are shared, strategies are built, and inclusive leadership is strengthened. Collaboration between migrants and native communities fosters fairer and more representative narratives. Furthermore, it is essential to increase training and information spaces to promote informed activism, necessary to combat these injustices.

The future requires structural change: We need to rethink the language and rhetoric used to show more respect to migrants, who are holders of dignity, and to strengthen community and support organizations’ capacities in achieving political emancipation. It is crucial to develop collective strategies

such as media campaigns, alliances with trade unions, and safe spaces for mobilization and political activism. Migrant youth must also be enabled to actively participate in these spaces and actions, being the protagonists and voices of their own legitimate demands. Community organization and the visibility of these realities not only promotes basic rights but also reinforces the affections and political strength of the associative fabric that benefits us all in building a diverse, more just, and egalitarian society.

Necessary changes: It is essential to create participatory processes for establishing networks among migrant people. These processes should also foster horizontal and democratic political alliances with a range of organizations to walk together in building a society that celebrates diversity, and fights against racism. We aspire to a future of the common good, where everyone, including migrants, can belong. A future based on rights, without invisibilizing, discriminating, or instrumentalizing anyone. Accepting cultural and social diversity for respectful, kind, and care-based coexistence. This unity will allow us to address exploitation, and other labour and human rights violations when committed by employers in the workplace.

A central aspect is the need for safe and effective mechanisms for reporting and remedy, ensuring that victims of these situations are not at risk of being deported, and are protected. In this, there is a role for research and external observers and actors who can support in information provision, detection, identification and filing complaints. The role of trade unions and labour authorities is key.

For all these reasons, the undersigned entities demand that public institutions in Spain and in Europe more generally fulfill their functions and urge them to:

• Ensure victims of labour rights violations and violence have safe and effective mechanisms to report and access remedy and reparations , protecting migrants from potential retaliation and deportation, and including external support.

• Strengthen and expand regularization pathways, simplifying the procedures and eliminating bureaucratic barriers that are impossible to fulfill for many people working in precarious sectors.

• Ensure access to basic rights such as healthcare, education and housing, in law and in practice. In Spain, the effective implementation of the right to register in all municipalities. is crucial to ensuring that migrants are not discriminated against and can access basic rights and regularisation.

• Promote accessible funding avenues for grassroots organizations and spaces for community education and activism that foster collective empowerment and the fight against discrimination.

We resist, we sustain, and we walk together with strength toward the future.

Signatories

• AMIA
• Arbeit und Leben Berlin Brandenburg e.V.
• Asociación de Mujeres Migrantes por la Igualdad
• Asociación Nueva ciudadanía por la Interculturalidad ASNUCI
• Asociación Senegal Onubense
• Asociación Sevilla Negra
• Asociacion Tierra Matria
• Association for Legal Intervention
• Centre for Legal Aid Voice in Bulgaria
• CONVIVE Fundación Cepaim
• FairWork
• FAIRWORK Belgium
• FLEX
• Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality and Diversity
• Grupo Artemisa Migrante y refugiada
• Ivorian community of Greece
• Jornaleras en asentamientos de Huelva
• JRS Malta
• KISA
• Le Monde des Possibles
• Maternidades negroafricanas
• Migrants’ Rights Network
• Mujeres cuidadoras sin papeles de Igualeja
• Mujeres Supervivientes
• Ocalenie Foundation
• PICUM
• Siriri + Asociación Nosotras Granada
• SolidarityNow

In a final vote on 19 November 2024, the EU Council passed a new EU Regulation banning products made from forced labour, which largely neglects the realities and needs of migrant workers.

While this new law is often referred to as the ‘Forced Labour Ban regulation’, the ban actually targets products, not forced labour itself. The new regulation bans products that are proven to be made with forced labour (either inside the EU or imported from outside the EU).

Silvia Carta, Advocacy Officer at PICUM, said: “While the intention to fight forced labour is certainly positive, banning products alone is not enough to help workers affected by forced labour and may even put them in situations of heightened vulnerability. This Regulation does little to address their situation, especially for those with precarious residence status and those undocumented.”

The Regulation adopted does not foresee consultation or engagement with workers involved, nor does it foresee remediation or access to better conditions for victims of forced labour who made the products. The risk is that workers experiencing forced labour will simply lose a (however precarious and inadequate) source of income without having the chance to get justice and remedy.

Workers whose residence status is dependent on the employer or undocumented workers would risk immigration enforcement if they engage with the authorities during the investigations around cases of forced labour.

The Regulation does allow all interested parties to file complaints, but without strong confidentiality provisions, protection from retaliation and the prospect to obtain redress, it is difficult to imagine how workers could use it.

The EU anti-trafficking framework is not enough to protect these workers and cannot be used as a stopgap for the shortcomings in this new Regulation. Even when undocumented workers are victims of trafficking or forced labour, they are often treated as offenders due to their immigration status and required to leave the country or are deported as a result of interacting with law enforcement and labour inspectorates. In some cases, they may obtain a temporary residence permit as long as there are criminal proceedings they are able to cooperate with. But access to remedy, including secure residence permits and compensation, remains sorely lacking.

Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator of La Strada International, said: “While the adoption of the EU Forced Labour Regulation is a positive step forward, the level of proof required to initiate an investigation is high, putting much burden on exploited workers and NGOs to trace all evidence, while there is little obligation to remedy workers in cases of serious misconduct”.  

When implementing this Regulation, EU member states must:

• Clearly separate investigations from immigration enforcement, so that investigative authorities do not report undocumented people to immigration enforcement;
• Foresee systematic consultation with involved workers and their representatives throughout the investigation and banning process, and ensure it is safe for them to do so;
• Decriminalise victims of forced labour and provide those with precarious residence status or undocumented with the opportunity to regularise their status and find new employment, as well as other supports to access remedy and rights such as payment of back wages and compensation.