Forced Labor2007
Jordan JO
The workers went on strike and management took more of the same, above acts to even more oppressive extremes to break the strikers. The strikers appealed to the Jordanian Ministry of Labor and finally was able to get help. After a few months, and after years of abuse, the owner was forced to surrender his factory to the Jordanian Ministry of Labor. An agreement with the Ministry and owners was signed. Part of the agreement, signed on June 6, 2007, called for the new owner of the Cotton Craft Factory to pay every worker months of back wages along with social security payments deducted from the workers' wages by law to be returned to the workers when they leave the factory. The total amount of money due the workers is approximately 460 JD ($648.80). One hundred and thirty-five foreign guest workers at the Cotton Craft factory in Jordan--who were routinely cheated of their overtime pay--have received hundreds of dollars in back wages legally due them. Needless to say, these poor guest workers who never expected to win are not only overjoyed but inspired to continue their struggle for justice.
Forced Labor2005
Jordan JO
The Al Shahaed Apparel and Textile company, which supplies garments for Walmart and Kohls, trafficked 115 workers from Bangladesh to work in its factory. The workers were recruited through a contractor in Bangladesh, called Golden View International. In order to pay for their expensive three year contracts of 90,000 to 200,000 taka, or $1,327 to $2,950, the workers had to borrow money where the interest rate is 5% per month. The workers were promised to earn at least $120 a month and that food, lodging, and health care would be free, none of which turned out to be true. Upon arrival their passports were confiscated. If the workers left the factory without their proper identification, they ran the risk of being caught by the police and deported. The workers worked between 38-72 hours per week, where paid 2 cents per hour. The minimum shift was `15 hours with sometimes only 3 hours between shifts. The factory owner hired gang members to terrorize the workers by beating them if they were not concentrating on their work. All 115 Bangladeshi guest workers were housed in one small four room building, located in an isolated area, about five miles from the Al Hassan Industrial Estate. There was no heating and water was available only every third day. 115 men had to share only 6 toilets. The food was insufficient, the portions were poor, and often made the workers sick. There was no public transportation and the workers would have to walk five miles to make a phone call home to their families in Bangladesh.