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Greece: The misery of migrant workers

September 2, 2014

Thousands of undocumented seasonal laborers work in Greece, among them many from Bangladesh. On the Peloponnese, they work for starvation wages harvesting strawberries, often under conditions akin to modern-day slavery.

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Schüsse auf bengalische Arbeiter in Manolada Griechenland
Image: Reuters
Schüsse auf bengalische Arbeiter in Manolada Griechenland
Image: Reuters

Last year, 28 Bangladeshi strawberry pickers were shot and wounded by their foremen for demanding months of unpaid wages owed to them. The Greek courts acquitted the farmers who admitted to the shooting. Greek human rights activists say that racism against Asian migrant workers is to blame. But without legal work permits, their desperate circumstances will likely continue.