A group of 33 Bangladeshi workers at the farm in Manolada were shot on 17 April by farm supervisors when they joined other workers protesting because they had not been paid for seven months. Eight of them were seriously injured.

“They hit us and said, ‘We will kill you.’ Three of them were shooting at us while the others beat us with sticks. The shooting went on for more than 20 minutes,” one of the workers told an Amnesty International delegation that visited the camp over the last few days.

While there, the organization observed horrendous conditions where workers – some in their early teens – live in crowded sheds without access to clean water and sanitation.

“The living conditions we’ve witnessed in Manolada are a shocking glimpse into an appalling underworld endured by thousands of migrant workers across the area,” said Kondylia Gogou, Greece researcher at Amnesty International.

“While the Greek authorities’ swift reaction to the shooting incident itself is commendable, more needs to be done to tackle the awful conditions and the labour exploitation that led the Bangladeshi migrant workers to protest in the first place. Such working and living conditions are unacceptable in 21st-century Europe.”

The Greek authorities promptly condemned last week’s shooting incident, which began when about 200 workers protested for not being paid for seven months, and are conducting criminal investigations. This resulted in four suspects being arrested – the farm’s owner and three supervisors.

However, the Greek authorities still need to urgently take measures to address to the long-term issue of labour exploitation illustrated by the incident”.

Last week’s shooting was the culmination of months of neglect and exploitation of thousands of migrant workers in the area around Manolada.

According to witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International, some 2,000 Bangladeshis work in the area, with a further 3,000 or more workers from other countries, including Bulgaria and Albania. Some have residence permits or asylum applications, but others are irregular migrants without insurance or access to health care.

The organization visited some of the sheds where the strawberry pickers live, near to the farm where last week’s incident happened. More than 20 people live in each of these structures, made of little more than plastic sheeting. They lack sanitation and a hose provides their only access to running water.

One of the workers’ representatives – who has lived in Greece for 15 years – told Amnesty International that the Bangladeshis were promised a meagre €3.15 per hour for a seven-hour workday. They had not been paid for seven months before last week’s protest. The workers also said they are forced to pay €20 a month – nearly a full day’s wage – to live in the sheds at the farm.

Seven of the Bangladeshis injured in last week’s shooting are still in hospital. There are ongoing concerns about the safety of the workers who remain on the farm.

“Our visit to Manolada confirmed the very real sense of fear and ongoing danger for the strawberry pickers, who are still reeling from last week’s violent attack and their despair over not being paid and the inability to support their families. The sad reality is that many of them feel trapped and that they have no other choice but to carry on working there,” said Gogou.

“The injuries suffered by protesting farm workers in Manolada are being condemned in the most absolute manner by the entire Greek society,” government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said in a statement Thursday.

“This unprecedented and devastating act is foreign to Greek morals and the reaction of the authorities will be swift and exemplary,” he said.

The exclusive video uploaded by ekathimerini on its website, displays footage filmed shortly after the shooting occurred, with immigrants lying down injured.

The incident occurred when some 200 workers allegedly demanded six months’ worth of unpaid wages from their employer and then became involved in a dispute with three Greek foremen.

Meanwhile, police are seeking the three suspects who disappeared after Wednesday’s shootings.

The owner of the farm, was arrested on Wednesday, charged as a moral accomplice to attempted manslaughter, according to ekathimerini, while police said they had arrested a 38-year-old man accused of hiding two of the foremen at his home on charges of harboring criminals.

According to reports, some of the migrants remained hospitalized on Thursday, but none have life-threatening injuries.

Today almost 90 percent of the country’s strawberry production comes from that area. Greece and Russia are among the major consumers, though in the last years Greek strawberries are exported to many European markets too.

The incident occurred when some 200 workers allegedly demanded six months’ worth of unpaid wages from their employer and then became involved in a dispute with three Greek foremen, at least one of whom fired at the migrants with a shotgun, according to ekathimerini. According to local media 4 of the migrants shot are in critical health condition.

Police have reportedly arrested two suspects and are looking for two more, according to SKAI.

The incident occurred near the village of Manolada about 260 kilometers west of Athens.

Today almost 90 percent of the country’s strawberry production comes from that area. Greece and Russia are among the major consumers, though in the last years Greek strawberries are exported to many European markets too.

Meanwhile, the incident has caused a social media uproar with users calling for the boycott of strawberries from Manolada.

This is not the first time that immigrants in Nea Manolada have protested against harsh working conditions.
 In 2008, immigrants  staged a two-day strike to protest against harsh working conditions.

In a statement late Wednesday, left SYRIZA opposition condemned the incident as a “criminal, racist act.”