Migrant workers shot by bosses at Manolada farm
The Nea Manolada area of the Peloponnese, where farm owners have abused migrants in the past, was in the spotlight again on Wednesday evening after more than 20 Bangladeshi workers were shot during a dispute over back pay.
The incident occurred when some 200 workers reportedly demanded six months’ worth of unpaid wages from their employer in the region of Ilia.
The pickers became involved in an argument with three Greek supervisors, at least one of whom fired at the migrants with a shotgun.
It is thought that as many as 30 workers were injured in the incident, with several of them reported to be in a critical condition on Wednesday night.
The farm owner, who was allegedly not present at the shooting, was arrested but the three supervisors were being sought. Police appeared to know the identity of the men they were looking for.
Manolada has been at the center of cases involving violence against migrant workers a number of times in recent years. Last year, two Greek men were arrested for beating a 30-year-old Egyptian, jamming his head in the window of a car door and dragging him for around one kilometer.
In 2008, migrants working on farms in New Manolada, known for its strawberries, went on a four-day strike to protest poverty wages and squalid living conditions.
