It is estimated that 90 percent of Greece's agriculture wage labourers are migrants. Farm work is often the only option for them when they arrive in the country without accommodation, money or legal status.
Razza's gang is one of four in the village of Poullakida visited by Al Jazeera. Along with the testimony of former workers - who are often more willing to speak openly - they paint a depressing picture of the exploitation and indignity of undocumented migrant labour in Greece. [...]
Pakistani workers say they are paid 22 euros ($23.3) per 100 crates of oranges they fill, usually a day's work, but that the amount varies between nationalities, with Albanians receiving 28 euros ($29.6) for the same number of crates. [...]
Charged 50 euros ($52.9) a month per person for their accommodation, and inflated amounts for food and even cigarettes, some workers soon find themselves in debt to their foreman. [...]
For close to a decade, Greece has experienced an economic and social crisis of unparalleled proportions for an advanced economy in peacetime conditions; the Greek economy has collapsed, living standards have plummeted, and unemployment and child poverty is endemic. The country has been subjected to severe austerity meaures and has struggled to cope with an unprecedented influx of refugees.
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