As many as 1,000 migrant farm workers, mostly from Bangladesh, have been left homeless after a devastating fire ripped through a shantytown in southern Greece, where they live, on Wednesday.
No one was injured, as the migrants at the time were working in the fields. Despite their efforts to salvage whatever they could, they lost everything in the fire, including their shelter, clothing, money, residence permits, passports, and other essential documents. Some even lost their phones.
“We need food, water,” one of the migrants said in broken Greek, echoing the needs of the farm workers affected by the fire. “They say where should I go stay, where should I go sleep, we are all left with absolutely no money. Everyone’s crying, that’s what they all say.”
Faced with total destruction, they have issued an appeal for help to Greek authorities or to anyone who could offer assistance. FreshPlaza.com reports that, according to local labor unions and the regional food industry workers’ union, there has been no provision for assistance, leaving the migrants to fend for themselves.
The fire broke out shortly before noon at the migrants’ camp in Nea Manolada, an area in western Peloponnese, known for its strawberries, watermelons, and variety of vegetables. According to reports, the blaze started from the open burning of waste that quickly spread to the migrants’ huts and a nearby greenhouse. A thick veil of black smoke began engulfing the area from the burning of plastic and other flammable materials, while exploding gas canisters that migrants used for cooking further fueled the fire.
Firefighters, along with eight vehicles, rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire late in the afternoon. According to reports, about fifty huts were entirely destroyed, along with twelve rooms where the migrants lived.
Migrant farm workers like the ones left homeless in southern Greece are contributing to the country’s workforce
Greece has been suffering from a lack of available workers, and brain drain continues to be an issue.
Staff shortages are substantial in specific sectors. It is estimated that there is a lack of 70,000 workers in the agriculture workforce, 80,000 in tourism and restaurants, and another 50,000 in construction, bringing the total lack of workforce in Greece to 200,000 individuals.
In 2023, the Greek government passed a new law targeting shortages of unskilled labor, according to which 30,000 undocumented migrants who have lived in Greece since 2020 will have the right to obtain residence permits and seek employment in the country.
The decision mainly affected farm workers, including those from Bangladesh, who work in the agriculture sector. In 2022 alone, around 3,405 migrants from the South Asian country obtained residence permits in Greece, while thousands others were awaiting a decision on their application.
Data by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), shared by Secretary General for the Reception of Asylum Applicants Dimitra Lygoura in 2024, also indicates that Greece is behind compared to other European countries in the availability of highly skilled staff at four sectors critical to the Greek economy. These include hotel/vacation rentals, trade, manufacturing, farming, and fishing.
At the time, it was estimated that 750,000 legal migrants were employed in Greece.
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