Italian authorities on Tuesday launched a "zero tolerance" policy on immigrant labour exploitation following the outbreak of racial riots in the southern town of Rosarno.
Welfare Minister Maurizio Sacconi said health and work inspectors were set to closely work with the police to fight the abuse of migrant workers, especially in the south.
There would be tight controls across the country and the south would see the introduction of a northern Italian voucher scheme to help employers and workers enter the legal economy.
"From now on employers will no longer have alibis," Sacconi added.
The unrest in Rosarno exploded on Thursday night after immigrants torched cars and litter bins in response to an initial air-rifle shooting.
The riots went on for two days, with clashes between locals and migrant workers.
Some 53 people including 18 policemen were injured in the uprising, which has brought to light the country's heavy immigration burden. The
clashes at Rosarno in the Calabria region, a stronghold of the Ndrangheta Mafia, were Italy's worst postwar racial unrest.
An inquiry is under way to identify possible Mafia responsibilities in the riots and exploitation of immigrant work. At least one clan-linked man was among those arrested for the attacks.
About 1,500 immigrant day workers keep farms running in the area by picking fruit and vegetables. They say they are essential for the economy and angry at living in abandoned factories without running water or electricity, with starvation wages off-the-books.
Many of them are forced to work 18-hour days for as little as 20 euros (about 30 U.S. dollars). And most of these are illegal refugees.
Human rights groups claim they are exploited by organized crime. On Tuesday officials from Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) and the United Nations voiced concerns on the awful conditions in which the immigrants were forced to live.
MSF Italy spokesman Loris De Filippi talked of a widespread "hypocrisy" in the country.
"These people, around 70 percent of whom are irregular migrants, are reduced to virtual slavery and everyone knows about it but no one does anything for convenience," he said.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants Jorge Bustamante and the Special Rapporteur on Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance Githu Muigai issued a joint statement describing Rosarno's violence as "extremely worrying" and indicating "ingrained problems of racism."
The rapporteurs urged the Italian authorities to intervene against all
forms of racism.
The situation in Rosarno is now under control. More than 1,000 immigrants, mainly farm labourers from sub-Saharan Africa, either fled the area or were transferred to migrant centers during the weekend. Their
dwellings have been bulldozed by the authorities.
The Interior Minister Roberto Maroni promised on Monday that all illegal refugees will be expelled from the country. In his view Rosarno's riots were the product of Italy's far too lenient immigration policy.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's center-right government has placed the fight against illegal immigration on top of its agenda. Italy has already helped Libya set up stiffer border controls as part of an agreement aimed at turning back sea refugees caught in international waters.
Italian authorities also intend to punish those involved in Rosarnos' riots: both the local labour exploiters and the illegal immigrants with no permit.
However, according to data issued Tuesday by national statistics office Istat two out of three immigrants are legally employed. The employment rate among migrants stands at 67 percent out of an estimated total of 4.5 million legal foreign residents.
The report confirms figures recently released by religious charity Caritas, estimating that immigrants produce up to 10 percent of Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) and contribute over 10.2 billion euros in income tax revenue.