Tag Archive for 'manolada'

Greek farmers who shot 28 workers for demanding pay walk free from court in ‘scandalous, racist’ verdict

A Greek court has sparked an “unprecedented racist scandal” after it cleared farmers who shot and wounded 28 Bangladeshi strawberry pickers when they asked to be paid.

In a verdict described as “an outrage and a disgrace” and which led to protests outside the court in the southern city of Patras, the owner of the farm and head foreman were cleared of all charges – which included human trafficking.

The incident in April last year saw farmers turn their shotguns on migrant workers in Manolada who had asked to be recompensed for six months of unpaid labour. Dozens were injured, four of them severely.
Continue reading ‘Greek farmers who shot 28 workers for demanding pay walk free from court in ‘scandalous, racist’ verdict’

Manolada: working in the strawberry fields…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0CvTw8sQ6o&feature=player_embedded#!

Manolada: Migrant workers shot because they demanded their salaries

Manolada strawberry farmers shoot immigrants who demanded 6 months salaries. More than 20 wounded in hospital.
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The immigrant workers had reportedly gathered to demand six-months’ worth of unpaid wages when one of three work supervisors whom they were negotiating with shot them. About 20-30 of the 200 strawberry pickers from Bangladesh got injured. Local media reported that four of them are in a serious health condition. The employer has been arrested and investigations are going on.

Only one day later some of the in Patras hospitalised migrants instead of left to go home were arrested for lacking valid residence permits and transferred to detention for deportation.

Several thousand migrant workers (many of them reportedly undocumented) are empoyed as strawberry pickers in the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkCJnXMU9eM
This is not the first time that immigrants in Nea Manolada have protested against harsh working conditions.

In 2008, immigrant farm workers staged a two-day strike (delaying the shipments of strawberries by at least a few days) to protest against harsh working conditions. Their strike exposed slave wage exploitation, shocking living conditions and prejudice.

The government at the time responded to the strike by ordering labour inspectors to crack the whip on farmers exploiting migrant workers in Nea Manolada.

Despite the country’s soaring rate of unemployment, agriculture is heavily reliant on immigrant labour.

In 2009, two farmers in Manolada, alleged to have tied two Bangladeshi immigrants to a motorcycle and reportedly dragged them through a central square.


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the press project (in greek)
left.gr (in greek)
tvxs (in greek)
ekathimerini (in english)
enet (in english)
keeptalkinggreece (in english)
press project (in greek)

older article (2012) on the exploitative working conditions of the Manolada strawberry farms (in greek with videos)

Agricultural workers in Manolada protest against exploitation

The exploitation and violence of agricultural farmers in Manolada against their migrant workers continues. On May 12, 2012 the workers of the strawberry harvest started a strike demanding higher wages now. The police supports the farmers with sweep operations arresting migrants in the area. On May 16, 2012, the third day of the workers strike the protests resulted again in the arrest of about 10 workers – mainly migrants.

greek news