WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Indian Workers Complain of Slave-Like Conditions
Member Center:
A group of Indian guest workers says a Mississippi shipbuilding company is involved in human trafficking.
About 100 workers marched on the state capitol Thursday morning in what is one of several stops on their way to Washington, D.C., to protest Signal International's hiring of migrant workers. The workers claim they were told they could come to the United States and become citizens. Instead they received low wages and live in small trailers with dozens of others.
One worker compared it to slavery.
"When we arrived, we found that slavery still exists in this great country," said Savulal Vijalyn, a former guest worker. "We live like animals in the labor camps and (are) forced to work for Signal International Mississippi. We decided to fight this company and this guest-worker program."
A statement from Signal International says the company was deceived by a fraudulent recruitment firm against which Signal has filed lawsuit alleging malpractice.
Signal CEO Richard Marler says guest workers were hired to make up for a shortage of skilled labor after Hurricane Katrina.
About 100 workers walked off the job earlier this month and have filed a complaint with the Department of Justice.
Comments Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. Notify us of any inappropriate comments by clicking the “Mark as Offensive” link. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. By submitting a comment, you agree to these
Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register See all comments |
