Gavin Grey: Europe Correspondent on the Indian farmer freed from "slave-like" conditions in Northern Italy

Dozens of Indian farmers have been freed from “slave-like” working conditions in Northern Italy. 

The 33 workers were lured to the country with the promise of jobs and a better future. 

Allegedly, they were forced to work more than ten hours a day, seven days a week, their tiny wage used to pay off debts to the alleged gangmasters. 

Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey told Ryan Bridge that when the men were arrested, they had over three quarters of a million AUD on them.  

He said that the 33 workers are now being looked after by social services and migrant support. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
But we can join geven now for the latest. Kevin,
good morning. What exactly are they talking about slave like conditions?

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, because they were working ten to twelve hours a day,
seven days a week. They were housed in a really
rundown apartment said to be extremely unhygienic, and were paid
at roughly six New Zealand dollars per hour. And the
problem for many of these Indian farm laborers is that
when they arrived in Italy, having been promised work visas,

(00:28):
their passports were taken off them. They were not given
any documentation and many arrived in debt and yes, you
guessed it, they weren't ever earning enough to pay off
the debt and the interest. And that is why two men,
also Indian nationals, have been arrested. When they were arrested Ryan,
they had over three quarters of a million Ossie dollars

(00:48):
in cash on them. It's big, big money, and these
I'm afraid these gangs operate in. These slave conditions are
pretty common both Italian and migrants in Italy, and I'm
afraid they're often representing many thousands of people in fields, vineyards,
greenhouses across the country. Indeed, just last month an Indian

(01:08):
fruit picker died after his arm was seven in a
workplace accident. Instead of taking him to the hospital, he
was just left by the side of the road where
he died. So as you can imagine, some pretty awful
scenes about how they're treated and the group these thirty
three workers are now being looked after by social services

(01:29):
and those with migrants support.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
God, it's terrible. Let's go to Dublin. What's happening with
this protest?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, I'm afraid back to the situation of asylum seekers
and migration here because as you know, Ireland prides itself
on an open door, welcome to migrants. Well it's suddenly
been inundated with welcome, open door for migrants, I think
partially possibly because the UK seems to be getting tougher
on it, at least it was under the previous government.

(01:57):
And what happened is there was a protest. There's quite
a violent protest outside of site in North Dublin that
has been set aside for housing some of the asylum seekers.
Protesters gathered set palettes on fire, some construction machinery on
fire as well, and also attacked police with rocks. Police
fired back, trying to quell them, but several officers were injured,

(02:21):
with more than two hundred guardians it known or police
officers deployed to the incidents. Three of the police cars
were damaged and one of which was set on fire. Now,
all of this is because some people are saying that
there are Irish nationals who can't get housing, they can't
afford housing, they are homeless, and yet they claim new

(02:44):
asylum seekers a given priority on the housing list. The
government says that's not the case, but we have to
welcome migrants and we indeed have to welcome them up
to certain standards. So a great deal of tension and
not the first time there's been violence on the streets
of Dublin when trying to sort these situations out, too.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
True, Gavin, thank you so much for that. That's our
UK and Europe correspondent Devin Gray. It is for more
from News Talks it B listen live on air or online,
and keep our shows with you wherever you go with
our podcasts on iHeartRadio.