Pascagoula, Mississippi March 6, 2008
Today, 100 of these Indian guest workers quit their jobs at Signal and threw their hard hats at the front gate in a symbolic protest. Angry and defrauded, these workers want justice. A local TV station covered the action. Global Workers was present at the protest in Pascagoula as part of an international legal support team. Global Workers is assisting the workers to bring their plight to the attention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteurship on Migrants and the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Migrants and Trafficking. Since Global Workers has yet to establish a program in India, it has worked closely with an Indian colleague who has connected the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice with legal assistance in India. This powerful connection has already resulted in widespread press coverage in India, and potential criminal action against the recruiter, all of which has prompted the Indian government into action. The Indian ambassador to the USA will travel to New Orleans to meet with the workers next week. This collaboration, once again, underscores the importance of working transnationally to address the issues that transnational workers face. Hopefully, this case will spark a movement to push for recruiter laws both in the USA and India. Until the employers are responsible for all transportation and recruitment fees, the workers will be mercilessly exploited with exorbitant fees.