Consolato americano a Milano, la società americana risarcisce i lavoratori con 30 milioni

The American consulate in Milan has paid out $30 million to workers who were exploited on construction sites within the city. This settlement was reached after an agreement was signed between Milan's procurator's office, the multinational company Caddell, and the judicial administrator appointed by the court to oversee the construction company following an investigation into forced labor.

This is the largest transaction ever seen in Italy, utilizing a judicial approach never before employed in Europe. The American company, based in Alabama, was commissioned in June of the previous year. An investigative report by prosecutor Paolo Storari, with support from the Milan Carabinieri group, revealed the true nature of the situation in the Portello district of Milan, where workers were managed on behalf of Caddell by a Turkish intermediary and brought from India to Milan.

They were consistently exploited with fake wages, from which the cost of food, housing, and the amount owed to the foreman was deducted. The workplace was marred by mistreatment and threats, as reported in numerous direct testimonies gathered by investigators. Following the inquiry, the judge imposed, at the request of the procurator's office, the administrative instrument to "clean up" the sector from illegality and force the leading company to adopt more effective control systems.

Now, four months later, it appears the turning point has been reached, with the company agreeing to pay over $30 million to compensate workers for the damages they have suffered, ranging from material to moral harm. This covers an average of €50,000 per worker, with some receiving up to €90,000. All workers at the construction sites, approximately 450 in total, will be involved in this massive settlement, including those who were laid off before the inquiry (which erupted in June 2026), for which they will be granted unemployment benefits.

The society also granted 50 housing subsidies and 250 residence permits. The formal letter from the company states: "We authorize the Judicial Administrator Francesco Brigatti, from now on, to dispose of the funds to compensate employees for overtime work, reimbursement of accommodation expenses, and compensation for moral damages, up to a total amount of €19,730,126."

The remaining resources will be distributed to INPS and INAIL. The workers, mostly of Indian nationality, will be able to access the compensation by signing the agreement by the end of February 2027. Any possible caporalato lawsuit will continue, as the criminal aspects are outside the scope of this agreement. However, it is emphasized that the two main suspects, Ulas Demir and Aji Appukuttan (now in protective custody in prison), have supported and strongly encouraged the implementation of remedial measures.

This suggests the resolution of the accusations, as well as, in the long term, the administrative judiciary. Luca Stanzione, general secretary of the CGIL union in Milan, comments on the news of the worker compensation as a great result, attributed to the strategy of the Milan procurator's office supported by the daily activities of trade unions.

In this new phase, they must redesign their intervention tools to be more effective and expand the spaces of legality.