Spain hopes to attract refugees to fill labor shortages, but new arrivals are finding the same problems others before them encountered: long hours for wages that don’t cover basic needs.
After escaping the war in Ukraine, 43-year-old chef Hass thought he was lucky to find a job in a nice restaurant in Alicante, Spain. It had comfy wicker armchairs and overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. It offered a menu of colorful seafood, paella, and tapas. It seemed, at first, like a perfect landing spot.
But those plans have stalled as newly arriving Ukrainians are subjected to the difficult working conditions, including long hours and short-term contracts, that faced many migrants before them, particularly those from African countries. Now under the spotlight of a war that continues to rage in Ukraine, Spain’s labor and immigration advocates allege that business owners and local politicians have merely recast predatory work arrangements as alluring opportunities in times of crisis.
Spain's openness to Ukrainian refugees contrasts with efforts from the European Union to keep out refugee-seekers in neighboring African countries. In June, 37 migrants died when a group of 2,000 people tried to jump the high-security fence that secures the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa. Video footage showed Moroccan agents beating the migrants and Spain thanked them for its effective response.
He drove his car across the border to Romania. That was the one and only time they were asked for documents, he told BuzzFeed News. Then they made it to Hungary, Italy, France, and, finally, Spain. In total, he drove 3,000 miles from Kyiv to Alicante. Hass is an outlier among refugees. Sixty five percent of Ukrainians arriving are women, and 34% are minors. He managed to flee just before men were prohibited from exiting the country and drafted into the military, arriving in Spain on March 17.
In April, as the arrival of Ukrainian refugees peaked, Spain, in an effort to boost economic recovery after COVID shutdowns, passed a law that limits temporary contracts for workers.
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