Indian Guestworker Slits Wrists After Being Fired for Complaining About Squalid Work Condi

Hundreds of guest workers from India have begun protesting work conditions at a shipyard in Pascagoula Mississippi owned by the company Signal International.

The men say they spent their life savings in order get an H2B visa to work in the United States. Last week the men risked their jobs by publicly complaining about the work conditions. They held a press conference and issued a statement to the media.

The statement read in part: "We have been treated like animals here. We have been threatened with termination and salary reduction. We are living in isolation. Visitors are not allowed in the camps. We live 24 men in one container, with two bathrooms for all of us."

As the men were preparing to come public with their complaints, Signal told seven of the workers that their jobs had been terminated and that they would be sent back to India.

Upon hearing the news, one of fired workers - Sabu Lal - tried committing suicide by slitting his wrists. Freelance journalist Christian Roseland recently interviewed Sabu Lal his release from hospital.

* Sabu Lal, former guestworker at Signal International. Courtesy of Christian Roseland.

We called Signal International and invited them on the program. They did not respond to our request.

* Saket Soni, spokesman for the Alliance of Guest Workers for Dignity. He heads the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice.

Last month, 30 plus Mexican guestworkers in Sulphur, Louisiana held a press conference to complain about their working conditions. They claimed they defrauded by their employer who promised steady work and fair pay. They were hired by a company under the name of Louisiana Labor, LLC. The workers say their employer is Matt Redd of Redd Properties.

* Nestor Vallero, a Mexican guestworker. He is a former employee of Louisiana Labor, LLC.

We spoke with Matt Redd at Redd properties. In response to questions about the Mexican guest workers he declined to comment saying only that he "didn't want to stir it up anymore than it's already been stirred up." He went on to say that only 97% of his workers were happy as can be and the 3% who were upset no longer work there. He declined our invitation to join us on the show.

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