Depressing article in today's Straits Tines concerning Bangladeshi workers in Singapore who have valid work permits, having paid 'agents' big sums to come over here (like $8,000), only to find there's no actual work for them. It seems the agents make so much from the fees that they deliberately hire more of the guys than the companies they represent need. When the guys complain to the Ministry of Manpower their work permits get cancelled by their so-called employers. Since they're not getting work they cannot pay off the debts they've incurred to pay the agents (in the form of loans from money-lenders in Bangladesh) so when they eventually go back, which it looks like most will be forced to do, they face crippling debts. They left Bangladesh originally due to the unemployment rates there, so there is absolutely nothing they can do to get out of the mess.
Well, at least this made it to the newspaper and possibly someone in a position to take action and right a terrible wrong might be able to do so. I suppose somebody somewhere will tell us this is all part of the benefits of globalisation.
Also heard on the BBC this morning: a quarter of the world's species of mammals are under direct threat of extinction. Fortunately or otherwise, depending on how you look at it, our own species does not seem to be one of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment