Interviews
Unjust wages at clothing units infuriate foreign workers
15 Dec '07
2 min read
Three thousand foreign guest workers, 50 percent of them young women--1,500 from Sri Lanka, 900 from Bangladesh, 400 from India and 100 from Nepal--have been on strike since Monday, December 10, 2007.
The situation is critical. At least 10 workers were beaten by the police. Before going on strike, the workers had written to the Jordanian Ministry of Labor seeking help, but received no response.
• Workers paid less than half the wages legally due them, earning a take-home wage of just $30.95 a week for a minimum of 78 hours of work, while they should have been paid at least $64.88.
• Routine 12 1/2 to 14 1/2-hour shifts, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00, 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., seven days a week with at most two days off each month. Workers are at the factory 80 1/2 to 93 1/2 hours a week.
• Two young women report being raped by factory management.
• Managers routinely shout and curse at the workers and even slap and beat them for falling behind in their production goal or making minor errors.
• Workers say they are locked in the factory and afraid that if a fire breaks out they will be trapped.
• The bathrooms are filthy.
• Factory dorms are very cold, lack heat and are seriously overcrowded with 12 people crammed into each room.
• Workers describe the factory food as too little and often stale, with an "awful" taste.
• Factory management does not pay medical expenses and does not respect the workers' legal right to 14 days paid annual vacation.
• Workers are paid just 15 cents for each paid of jeans they sew for Wal-Mart and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Click here to view more:
The situation is critical. At least 10 workers were beaten by the police. Before going on strike, the workers had written to the Jordanian Ministry of Labor seeking help, but received no response.
• Workers paid less than half the wages legally due them, earning a take-home wage of just $30.95 a week for a minimum of 78 hours of work, while they should have been paid at least $64.88.
• Routine 12 1/2 to 14 1/2-hour shifts, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00, 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., seven days a week with at most two days off each month. Workers are at the factory 80 1/2 to 93 1/2 hours a week.
• Two young women report being raped by factory management.
• Managers routinely shout and curse at the workers and even slap and beat them for falling behind in their production goal or making minor errors.
• Workers say they are locked in the factory and afraid that if a fire breaks out they will be trapped.
• The bathrooms are filthy.
• Factory dorms are very cold, lack heat and are seriously overcrowded with 12 people crammed into each room.
• Workers describe the factory food as too little and often stale, with an "awful" taste.
• Factory management does not pay medical expenses and does not respect the workers' legal right to 14 days paid annual vacation.
• Workers are paid just 15 cents for each paid of jeans they sew for Wal-Mart and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Click here to view more:
National Labor Committee
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