The ‘ghost’ of Masseria del Tono

ITALY:

The area located between Tropea and Capo Vaticano, in the southern Italian region of Calabria, is one of the most beautiful and spectacular coastlines in the country. Steep granite cliffs plunge down to crystalline blue waters. Tiny coves and beaches - many accessible only by boat - offer a mix of beauty and silence unmatched by the more commercial and rowdy beaches on the country’s eastern Adriatic coast. The cuisine is a divine mix of fresh seafood, meats and cheeses. Most of the accommodation in the area is provided by small hotels, camping grounds and guesthouses. Among them is the Masseria del Tono, a small family run establishment right on the beach where guests are served delicious coffee, freshly baked cornettos and sourdough bread, superbly prepared fish and meat meals, and the famous Tratufo di Pizzo (a multilayer chocolate-based gelato).

A group of Pakistanis from central Punjab area have been selling jewelry on the beaches here for the last 30 years. During the summer season, from June to September, they tramp up and down the beaches for 10 hours a day with a display of necklaces, earrings, wrist and ankle bands and lockets. The Masseria provides them an operational base – a place to rest, get a sandwich and a drink, reorganise their wares, exchange stories and use the facilities.

G* is from central Punjab and is one of the Pakistanis selling jewelry in the area. A very distinguished looking gentleman in his mid-fifties, always well-dressed in a freshly laundered, well ironed shalwar-kameez. We met over the course of several mornings at the Masseria to talk.

What were you doing before you decided to come to Italy?

I was one of the many ‘ghost workers’ employed by the Food Department of the Government of Punjab. I went into the office once a month to fill in my attendance sheets, collect my salary which was about Rs12,000, and handed over Rs500 to the person in charge of the office to turn a blind eye to the fact that I was not actually going to work. Most of my work was related to running my farm and a small business.

Did you feel bad about being a ‘ghost worker?’

Yes, I did. But mine was one of the smaller scams – less than Rs150,000 a year.

One of the bigger scams was related to quantities: government procurement started in May or June when it was hot and dry and the moisture content of the wheat we purchased was low. In July or August, during the rainy season, we used to open the doors of the godowns and stores so that the wheat could absorb humidity and increase its weight. This would result in the stock increasing by three to four per cent. We would then do a stock take and sell off the excess quantities (Authors’ Note: with procurement of around 4 million tons, 4 per cent is worth around Rs360 crore). The money was then distributed across the department with the largest shares going to the senior staff. And this was only one of the many ways that the staff was making money.

So why did you leave?

I had been with the Food Department for more than 12 years and was looking for new challenges. I first tried going to Japan where a cousin and a friend were working on a livestock farm. They had suggested I join them. I travelled to Japan on a forged passport but was discovered and deported from the airport. I next tried Italy where I was told that immigration restrictions were being eased. In 2002, I paid Rs 750,000 to an agent for a ticket and tourist visa.

What did you do once in Italy?

I first worked in an area called San Ferdinando, which is not far from here. A nephew of mine lived there and got me a job harvesting orange trees. It was piece rate work – so much per box of fruit harvested. It was very hard, also because the picking season runs through the winter when it is cold and wet. In addition, the days are short and we sometimes had to work in the dark.

As soon as I was able to get my legal stay permit, I moved to Reggio Emilia, in central Italy where I learnt welding work and got a job in a factory. The salary and working conditions were good and I was able to send back Euro 400 to 500 every month. But it was not easy. One of the biggest expenses living in a city is house rent. To keep expenses down, I had to share a room with several other people. We also had to be very careful about expenditures, even on food. I worked there for five years but a painful back condition forced me to leave.

In 2009, I went back to Pakistan for surgery on two slipped discs. I then stayed on another two years, organising my farm. We have 12 acres of land and I needed to make improvements to make it a profitable enterprise. I also invested in a tractor and on building up a small milking herd of seven buffaloes and seven cows.

And how did you end up in this area?

I came back to Italy in 2013 in order to renew my stay permit. Some friends told me about the business of selling jewelry on the beaches and I decided to give it a try. It is seasonal work and I am here from mid-May to end-September. I then go back to Pakistan to be with my wife and four children and to look after my farm.

 

Is this a good business? Do you make money?

I mostly sell good quality silver jewelry and semi-precious stones. I am known in the area and have several customers who I see every year. Over the season (four months) I make a good amount (Authors’ Note: He names a very respectable figure which, on a monthly basis would exceed that of most professionals in Pakistan).

Supplies come in from Pakistan and I go to Rome once or twice over the season to see the wholesaler who flies in from Lahore. However, since the last few years there are supplies coming in from China. They are not as good but much cheaper.

Are there many other Pakistanis doing this business?

There are four Pakistanis in this area selling jewelry but unlike me, they also work in other beaches and not just here. Then, there are a few others who sell clothes or beach toys. They are all doing relatively well but are not as careful as I am about expenditures and as a result don’t save as much.

Would you suggest that other Pakistanis come here?

No. I would strongly discourage people from coming.

I have had to suffer and struggle very hard to get to where I am now. I was also very lucky. And those were the good times. Nowadays, there is not much work available and it is really difficult to get decent pay and conditions. Also getting legal stay permits is complicated as rules are now very strict. In addition, language is a big barrier. Italian is a complex language to learn and without speaking the language it hard to get a job and to integrate.

Do you feel proud to be a Pakistani?

If people ask me, I always tell them I am from Pakistan. If they mention the bad things that happen in Pakistan or the bad things Pakistanis do in Italy, I say that there is good and bad everywhere.

Generally Italians are not racist and judge people according to their behavior. Here at the Masseria the family running the place have always been very kind and respectful to me and the other Pakistanis. We always get a cheerful ‘Buongiorno’ and a pleasant smile. Sometimes I use one of their tables to display and sell my wares and they have never objected.

Do you miss Pakistan?

Of course. I miss my village, my friends and my family. But I am lucky as I get to spend almost eight months a year with them. I am now building a new house and once that is done, I will decide whether or not I should stop this line of work.

 

*Names have been changed to protect identity. The writers are Pakistanis who work and live in Rome.

 

The area located between Tropea and Capo Vaticano, in the southern Italian region of Calabria, is one of the most beautiful and spectacular coastlines in the country. Steep granite cliffs plunge down to crystalline blue waters. Tiny coves and beaches - many accessible only by boat - offer a mix of beauty and silence unmatched by the more commercial and rowdy beaches on the country’s eastern Adriatic coast. The cuisine is a divine mix of fresh seafood, meats and cheeses. Most of the accommodation in the area is provided by small hotels, camping grounds and guesthouses. Among them is the Masseria del Tono, a small family run establishment right on the beach where guests are served delicious coffee, freshly baked cornettos and sourdough bread, superbly prepared fish and meat meals, and the famous Tratufo di Pizzo (a multilayer chocolate-based gelato).

A group of Pakistanis from central Punjab area have been selling jewelry on the beaches here for the last 30 years. During the summer season, from June to September, they tramp up and down the beaches for 10 hours a day with a display of necklaces, earrings, wrist and ankle bands and lockets. The Masseria provides them an operational base – a place to rest, get a sandwich and a drink, reorganise their wares, exchange stories and use the facilities.

G* is from central Punjab and is one of the Pakistanis selling jewelry in the area. A very distinguished looking gentleman in his mid-fifties, always well-dressed in a freshly laundered, well ironed shalwar-kameez. We met over the course of several mornings at the Masseria to talk.

What were you doing before you decided to come to Italy?

I was one of the many ‘ghost workers’ employed by the Food Department of the Government of Punjab. I went into the office once a month to fill in my attendance sheets, collect my salary which was about Rs12,000, and handed over Rs500 to the person in charge of the office to turn a blind eye to the fact that I was not actually going to work. Most of my work was related to running my farm and a small business.

Did you feel bad about being a ‘ghost worker?’

Yes, I did. But mine was one of the smaller scams – less than Rs150,000 a year.

One of the bigger scams was related to quantities: government procurement started in May or June when it was hot and dry and the moisture content of the wheat we purchased was low. In July or August, during the rainy season, we used to open the doors of the godowns and stores so that the wheat could absorb humidity and increase its weight. This would result in the stock increasing by three to four per cent. We would then do a stock take and sell off the excess quantities (Authors’ Note: with procurement of around 4 million tons, 4 per cent is worth around Rs360 crore). The money was then distributed across the department with the largest shares going to the senior staff. And this was only one of the many ways that the staff was making money.

So why did you leave?

I had been with the Food Department for more than 12 years and was looking for new challenges. I first tried going to Japan where a cousin and a friend were working on a livestock farm. They had suggested I join them. I travelled to Japan on a forged passport but was discovered and deported from the airport. I next tried Italy where I was told that immigration restrictions were being eased. In 2002, I paid Rs 750,000 to an agent for a ticket and tourist visa.

What did you do once in Italy?

I first worked in an area called San Ferdinando, which is not far from here. A nephew of mine lived there and got me a job harvesting orange trees. It was piece rate work – so much per box of fruit harvested. It was very hard, also because the picking season runs through the winter when it is cold and wet. In addition, the days are short and we sometimes had to work in the dark.

As soon as I was able to get my legal stay permit, I moved to Reggio Emilia, in central Italy where I learnt welding work and got a job in a factory. The salary and working conditions were good and I was able to send back Euro 400 to 500 every month. But it was not easy. One of the biggest expenses living in a city is house rent. To keep expenses down, I had to share a room with several other people. We also had to be very careful about expenditures, even on food. I worked there for five years but a painful back condition forced me to leave.

In 2009, I went back to Pakistan for surgery on two slipped discs. I then stayed on another two years, organising my farm. We have 12 acres of land and I needed to make improvements to make it a profitable enterprise. I also invested in a tractor and on building up a small milking herd of seven buffaloes and seven cows.

And how did you end up in this area?

I came back to Italy in 2013 in order to renew my stay permit. Some friends told me about the business of selling jewelry on the beaches and I decided to give it a try. It is seasonal work and I am here from mid-May to end-September. I then go back to Pakistan to be with my wife and four children and to look after my farm.

Is this a good business? Do you make money?

I mostly sell good quality silver jewelry and semi-precious stones. I am known in the area and have several customers who I see every year. Over the season (four months) I make a good amount (Authors’ Note: He names a very respectable figure which, on a monthly basis would exceed that of most professionals in Pakistan).

Supplies come in from Pakistan and I go to Rome once or twice over the season to see the wholesaler who flies in from Lahore. However, since the last few years there are supplies coming in from China. They are not as good but much cheaper.

Are there many other Pakistanis doing this business?

There are four Pakistanis in this area selling jewelry but unlike me, they also work in other beaches and not just here. Then, there are a few others who sell clothes or beach toys. They are all doing relatively well but are not as careful as I am about expenditures and as a result don’t save as much.

Would you suggest that other Pakistanis come here?

No. I would strongly discourage people from coming.

I have had to suffer and struggle very hard to get to where I am now. I was also very lucky. And those were the good times. Nowadays, there is not much work available and it is really difficult to get decent pay and conditions. Also getting legal stay permits is complicated as rules are now very strict. In addition, language is a big barrier. Italian is a complex language to learn and without speaking the language it hard to get a job and to integrate.

Do you feel proud to be a Pakistani?

If people ask me, I always tell them I am from Pakistan. If they mention the bad things that happen in Pakistan or the bad things Pakistanis do in Italy, I say that there is good and bad everywhere.

Generally Italians are not racist and judge people according to their behavior. Here at the Masseria the family running the place have always been very kind and respectful to me and the other Pakistanis. We always get a cheerful ‘Buongiorno’ and a pleasant smile. Sometimes I use one of their tables to display and sell my wares and they have never objected.

Do you miss Pakistan?

Of course. I miss my village, my friends and my family. But I am lucky as I get to spend almost eight months a year with them. I am now building a new house and once that is done, I will decide whether or not I should stop this line of work.

 

*Names have been changed to protect identity. The writers are Pakistanis who work and live in Rome.

 

The area located between Tropea and Capo Vaticano, in the southern Italian region of Calabria, is one of the most beautiful and spectacular coastlines in the country. Steep granite cliffs plunge down to crystalline blue waters. Tiny coves and beaches - many accessible only by boat - offer a mix of beauty and silence unmatched by the more commercial and rowdy beaches on the country’s eastern Adriatic coast. The cuisine is a divine mix of fresh seafood, meats and cheeses. Most of the accommodation in the area is provided by small hotels, camping grounds and guesthouses. Among them is the Masseria del Tono, a small family run establishment right on the beach where guests are served delicious coffee, freshly baked cornettos and sourdough bread, superbly prepared fish and meat meals, and the famous Tratufo di Pizzo (a multilayer chocolate-based gelato).

A group of Pakistanis from central Punjab area have been selling jewelry on the beaches here for the last 30 years. During the summer season, from June to September, they tramp up and down the beaches for 10 hours a day with a display of necklaces, earrings, wrist and ankle bands and lockets. The Masseria provides them an operational base – a place to rest, get a sandwich and a drink, reorganise their wares, exchange stories and use the facilities.

G* is from central Punjab and is one of the Pakistanis selling jewelry in the area. A very distinguished looking gentleman in his mid-fifties, always well-dressed in a freshly laundered, well ironed shalwar-kameez. We met over the course of several mornings at the Masseria to talk.

What were you doing before you decided to come to Italy?

I was one of the many ‘ghost workers’ employed by the Food Department of the Government of Punjab. I went into the office once a month to fill in my attendance sheets, collect my salary which was about Rs12,000, and handed over Rs500 to the person in charge of the office to turn a blind eye to the fact that I was not actually going to work. Most of my work was related to running my farm and a small business.

Did you feel bad about being a ‘ghost worker?’

Yes, I did. But mine was one of the smaller scams – less than Rs150,000 a year.

One of the bigger scams was related to quantities: government procurement started in May or June when it was hot and dry and the moisture content of the wheat we purchased was low. In July or August, during the rainy season, we used to open the doors of the godowns and stores so that the wheat could absorb humidity and increase its weight. This would result in the stock increasing by three to four per cent. We would then do a stock take and sell off the excess quantities (Authors’ Note: with procurement of around 4 million tons, 4 per cent is worth around Rs360 crore). The money was then distributed across the department with the largest shares going to the senior staff. And this was only one of the many ways that the staff was making money.

So why did you leave?

I had been with the Food Department for more than 12 years and was looking for new challenges. I first tried going to Japan where a cousin and a friend were working on a livestock farm. They had suggested I join them. I travelled to Japan on a forged passport but was discovered and deported from the airport. I next tried Italy where I was told that immigration restrictions were being eased. In 2002, I paid Rs 750,000 to an agent for a ticket and tourist visa.

What did you do once in Italy?

I first worked in an area called San Ferdinando, which is not far from here. A nephew of mine lived there and got me a job harvesting orange trees. It was piece rate work – so much per box of fruit harvested. It was very hard, also because the picking season runs through the winter when it is cold and wet. In addition, the days are short and we sometimes had to work in the dark.

As soon as I was able to get my legal stay permit, I moved to Reggio Emilia, in central Italy where I learnt welding work and got a job in a factory. The salary and working conditions were good and I was able to send back Euro 400 to 500 every month. But it was not easy. One of the biggest expenses living in a city is house rent. To keep expenses down, I had to share a room with several other people. We also had to be very careful about expenditures, even on food. I worked there for five years but a painful back condition forced me to leave.

In 2009, I went back to Pakistan for surgery on two slipped discs. I then stayed on another two years, organising my farm. We have 12 acres of land and I needed to make improvements to make it a profitable enterprise. I also invested in a tractor and on building up a small milking herd of seven buffaloes and seven cows.

And how did you end up in this area?

I came back to Italy in 2013 in order to renew my stay permit. Some friends told me about the business of selling jewelry on the beaches and I decided to give it a try. It is seasonal work and I am here from mid-May to end-September. I then go back to Pakistan to be with my wife and four children and to look after my farm.

Is this a good business? Do you make money?

I mostly sell good quality silver jewelry and semi-precious stones. I am known in the area and have several customers who I see every year. Over the season (four months) I make a good amount (Authors’ Note: He names a very respectable figure which, on a monthly basis would exceed that of most professionals in Pakistan).

Supplies come in from Pakistan and I go to Rome once or twice over the season to see the wholesaler who flies in from Lahore. However, since the last few years there are supplies coming in from China. They are not as good but much cheaper.

Are there many other Pakistanis doing this business?

There are four Pakistanis in this area selling jewelry but unlike me, they also work in other beaches and not just here. Then, there are a few others who sell clothes or beach toys. They are all doing relatively well but are not as careful as I am about expenditures and as a result don’t save as much.

Would you suggest that other Pakistanis come here?

No. I would strongly discourage people from coming.

I have had to suffer and struggle very hard to get to where I am now. I was also very lucky. And those were the good times. Nowadays, there is not much work available and it is really difficult to get decent pay and conditions. Also getting legal stay permits is complicated as rules are now very strict. In addition, language is a big barrier. Italian is a complex language to learn and without speaking the language it hard to get a job and to integrate.

Do you feel proud to be a Pakistani?

If people ask me, I always tell them I am from Pakistan. If they mention the bad things that happen in Pakistan or the bad things Pakistanis do in Italy, I say that there is good and bad everywhere.

Generally Italians are not racist and judge people according to their behavior. Here at the Masseria the family running the place have always been very kind and respectful to me and the other Pakistanis. We always get a cheerful ‘Buongiorno’ and a pleasant smile. Sometimes I use one of their tables to display and sell my wares and they have never objected.

Do you miss Pakistan?

Of course. I miss my village, my friends and my family. But I am lucky as I get to spend almost eight months a year with them. I am now building a new house and once that is done, I will decide whether or not I should stop this line of work.

 

*Names have been changed to protect identity. The writers are Pakistanis who work and live in Rome.

 

The area located between Tropea and Capo Vaticano, in the southern Italian region of Calabria, is one of the most beautiful and spectacular coastlines in the country. Steep granite cliffs plunge down to crystalline blue waters. Tiny coves and beaches - many accessible only by boat - offer a mix of beauty and silence unmatched by the more commercial and rowdy beaches on the country’s eastern Adriatic coast. The cuisine is a divine mix of fresh seafood, meats and cheeses. Most of the accommodation in the area is provided by small hotels, camping grounds and guesthouses. Among them is the Masseria del Tono, a small family run establishment right on the beach where guests are served delicious coffee, freshly baked cornettos and sourdough bread, superbly prepared fish and meat meals, and the famous Tratufo di Pizzo (a multilayer chocolate-based gelato).

A group of Pakistanis from central Punjab area have been selling jewelry on the beaches here for the last 30 years. During the summer season, from June to September, they tramp up and down the beaches for 10 hours a day with a display of necklaces, earrings, wrist and ankle bands and lockets. The Masseria provides them an operational base – a place to rest, get a sandwich and a drink, reorganise their wares, exchange stories and use the facilities.

G* is from central Punjab and is one of the Pakistanis selling jewelry in the area. A very distinguished looking gentleman in his mid-fifties, always well-dressed in a freshly laundered, well ironed shalwar-kameez. We met over the course of several mornings at the Masseria to talk.

What were you doing before you decided to come to Italy?

I was one of the many ‘ghost workers’ employed by the Food Department of the Government of Punjab. I went into the office once a month to fill in my attendance sheets, collect my salary which was about Rs12,000, and handed over Rs500 to the person in charge of the office to turn a blind eye to the fact that I was not actually going to work. Most of my work was related to running my farm and a small business.

Did you feel bad about being a ‘ghost worker?’

Yes, I did. But mine was one of the smaller scams – less than Rs150,000 a year.

One of the bigger scams was related to quantities: government procurement started in May or June when it was hot and dry and the moisture content of the wheat we purchased was low. In July or August, during the rainy season, we used to open the doors of the godowns and stores so that the wheat could absorb humidity and increase its weight. This would result in the stock increasing by three to four per cent. We would then do a stock take and sell off the excess quantities (Authors’ Note: with procurement of around 4 million tons, 4 per cent is worth around Rs360 crore). The money was then distributed across the department with the largest shares going to the senior staff. And this was only one of the many ways that the staff was making money.

So why did you leave?

I had been with the Food Department for more than 12 years and was looking for new challenges. I first tried going to Japan where a cousin and a friend were working on a livestock farm. They had suggested I join them. I travelled to Japan on a forged passport but was discovered and deported from the airport. I next tried Italy where I was told that immigration restrictions were being eased. In 2002, I paid Rs 750,000 to an agent for a ticket and tourist visa.

What did you do once in Italy?

I first worked in an area called San Ferdinando, which is not far from here. A nephew of mine lived there and got me a job harvesting orange trees. It was piece rate work – so much per box of fruit harvested. It was very hard, also because the picking season runs through the winter when it is cold and wet. In addition, the days are short and we sometimes had to work in the dark.

As soon as I was able to get my legal stay permit, I moved to Reggio Emilia, in central Italy where I learnt welding work and got a job in a factory. The salary and working conditions were good and I was able to send back Euro 400 to 500 every month. But it was not easy. One of the biggest expenses living in a city is house rent. To keep expenses down, I had to share a room with several other people. We also had to be very careful about expenditures, even on food. I worked there for five years but a painful back condition forced me to leave.

In 2009, I went back to Pakistan for surgery on two slipped discs. I then stayed on another two years, organising my farm. We have 12 acres of land and I needed to make improvements to make it a profitable enterprise. I also invested in a tractor and on building up a small milking herd of seven buffaloes and seven cows.

And how did you end up in this area?

I came back to Italy in 2013 in order to renew my stay permit. Some friends told me about the business of selling jewelry on the beaches and I decided to give it a try. It is seasonal work and I am here from mid-May to end-September. I then go back to Pakistan to be with my wife and four children and to look after my farm.

Is this a good business? Do you make money?

I mostly sell good quality silver jewelry and semi-precious stones. I am known in the area and have several customers who I see every year. Over the season (four months) I make a good amount (Authors’ Note: He names a very respectable figure which, on a monthly basis would exceed that of most professionals in Pakistan).

Supplies come in from Pakistan and I go to Rome once or twice over the season to see the wholesaler who flies in from Lahore. However, since the last few years there are supplies coming in from China. They are not as good but much cheaper.

Are there many other Pakistanis doing this business?

There are four Pakistanis in this area selling jewelry but unlike me, they also work in other beaches and not just here. Then, there are a few others who sell clothes or beach toys. They are all doing relatively well but are not as careful as I am about expenditures and as a result don’t save as much.

Would you suggest that other Pakistanis come here?

No. I would strongly discourage people from coming.

I have had to suffer and struggle very hard to get to where I am now. I was also very lucky. And those were the good times. Nowadays, there is not much work available and it is really difficult to get decent pay and conditions. Also getting legal stay permits is complicated as rules are now very strict. In addition, language is a big barrier. Italian is a complex language to learn and without speaking the language it hard to get a job and to integrate.

Do you feel proud to be a Pakistani?

If people ask me, I always tell them I am from Pakistan. If they mention the bad things that happen in Pakistan or the bad things Pakistanis do in Italy, I say that there is good and bad everywhere.

Generally Italians are not racist and judge people according to their behavior. Here at the Masseria the family running the place have always been very kind and respectful to me and the other Pakistanis. We always get a cheerful ‘Buongiorno’ and a pleasant smile. Sometimes I use one of their tables to display and sell my wares and they have never objected.

Do you miss Pakistan?

Of course. I miss my village, my friends and my family. But I am lucky as I get to spend almost eight months a year with them. I am now building a new house and once that is done, I will decide whether or not I should stop this line of work.

 

*Names have been changed to protect identity. The writers are Pakistanis who work and live in Rome.