NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.corpwatch.org/

Corpwatch is reporting that tens of thousands of low-wage Asian laborers are traveling to Iraq to work for U.S. military contractors such as Halliburton. Monthly salaries usually range from $200 to $1000 - far less than the salaries paid to U.S. contractors. Many of the workers are coming from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. CorpWatch reports they frequently sleep in crowded trailers and wait outside in line in 100 degree plus heat to eat "slop." Many are said to lack adequate medical care and put in hard labor seven days a week, 10 hours or more a day, for little or no overtime pay. They are also often unprotected from the ongoing fighting. When U.S. contractors slip on helmets and bulletproof vests, the Asian laborers are frequently shielded only by the dirt on their sweaty backs. Republican economics in action folks

Sucks to be them. Maybe if Haliburton didn't mismanage that 1.8 billion* they could have paid the Asians better and bought them some protection.

* http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=8552&fcategory_desc=Dick%20Cheney%20and%20Halliburton

that would never be the case cause neocon-nazis are anti-wage and oppress the Noble Workers

that would never be the case cause neoco-nazis are anti-wage and oppress the Noble Workers

Damn I wish I owned some Halliburton stock. Any company that has those kind of political connections and that kind of disregard for employee wages and safety must be worth a mint.

that would never be the case cause neocon-nazis are anti-wage and oppress the Noble Workers

Screw the noble workers and long live the middle class.

Screw the noble workers and long live the middle class.
The middle class is dying, and being replaced by an elite ultra-rich upper class, and the working poor (everyone else). Been to Walmart lately?

Damn I wish I owned some Halliburton stock. Any company that has those kind of political connections and that kind of disregard for employee wages and safety must be worth a mint.
yeah but its all blood money so its cursed

Screw the noble workers and long live the middle class.
I think you might be confused

The middle class is dying, and being replaced by an elite ultra-rich upper class, and the working poor (everyone else). Been to Walmart lately?
this is what the neocons want cause they know it they wipe out the middle class they wipe out Democracy too--corporatism is fascism

The middle class is dying, and being replaced by an elite ultra-rich upper class, and the working poor (everyone else). Been to Walmart lately?
Marx thought the same thing would happen. It hasn't yet. And from where I'm sitting the middle class seems to be doing fine.

Marx thought the same thing would happen. It hasn't yet. And from where I'm sitting the middle class seems to be doing fine.
yeah theyre doing fine with depressed wages and outsourced jobs

yeah theyre doing fine with depressed wages and outsourced jobs

It would seem so.

Guys, if you're hoping for the end of Capitalism, then don't just concentrate on Marx.
There's much more acclaimed writers, with much better reputations (and better reasoned arguments IMHO) you could turn to:

Try Schumpeter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumpeter)!

My School of Economics at my Uni is a world-class "Schumpeterian School" - they host evolutionary economics meetings here all the time.

Let it be noted that it's two non-US contractors hiring the asian workers. haliburton isn't hiring them at all.


Also, as an aside, Was the person who termed it slop ex-military or not. Cause if not then I highly distrust his qualification of slop.

Let it be noted that it's two non-US contractors hiring the asian workers. haliburton isn't hiring them at all.


Also, as an aside, Was the person who termed it slop ex-military or not. Cause if not then I highly distrust his qualification of slop.
Let it be noted that the information contested was presented in the first two paragraphs. As well as more, for those who bother to read further ...

Note:

Jing Soliman left his family in the Philippines for what sounded like a sure thing--a job as a warehouse worker at Camp Anaconda in Iraq. His new employer, Prime Projects International (PPI) of Dubai, is a major, but low-profile, subcontractor to Halliburton's multi-billion-dollar deal with the Pentagon to provide support services to U.S. forces.

But Soliman wouldn’t be making anything near the salaries-- starting $80,000 a year and often topping $100,000-- that Halliburton's engineering and construction unit, Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) pays to the truck drivers, construction workers, office workers, and other laborers it recruits from the United States. Instead, the 35-year-old father of two anticipated $615 a month – including overtime. For a 40-hour work week, that would be just over $3 an hour. But for the 12-hour day, seven-day week that Soliman says was standard for him and many contractor employees in Iraq, he actually earned $1.56 an hour.

---
One might conclude that Halliburton didn't do the hiring but it is still the employ, and it isn't as though subcontracting information makes it a far enough distinction when they are regular clients.

http://www.corpwatch.org/

Corpwatch is reporting that tens of thousands of low-wage Asian laborers are traveling to Iraq to work for U.S. military contractors such as Halliburton. Monthly salaries usually range from $200 to $1000 - far less than the salaries paid to U.S. contractors. Many of the workers are coming from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. CorpWatch reports they frequently sleep in crowded trailers and wait outside in line in 100 degree plus heat to eat "slop." Many are said to lack adequate medical care and put in hard labor seven days a week, 10 hours or more a day, for little or no overtime pay. They are also often unprotected from the ongoing fighting. When U.S. contractors slip on helmets and bulletproof vests, the Asian laborers are frequently shielded only by the dirt on their sweaty backs. Republican economics in action folks

not to sound cold or anything,absolutely not at all.

has anyone considered why they even went then?

could it be that back in there homeland they would be eating"slop" and making 20x less money,seriously,it's not like they were taken at gunpoint to iraq.

and i am pretty confident they knew what they would be paid,and what kinda hours they would put in.

is it unfair they are paid less then american contractors?
i'm not so sure.

it costs me 1500.00 a month to just pay my bills,and i rent,and dont have a car or motorcycle payment.just plain old bills and auto/cycle insurance.

now for me to go there,i would need alot of money to take the risk of death or mutilation(i would go for the right money)

i suspect that the companies take that into account when hiring subcontractors.

i would bet the wages the folks in question would earn at home are on the 50.00 to 100.00 a month range.

where i live we have lost alot of jobs to mexican immigrants due to there willingness to work for half the average american will,and to them it is a gold mine here compared to their home.

so it cuts both ways.

i am no conservative neo con by any stretch,and i see oppurtunity for these people,not slavery or exploitation.

they go home richer then anyone home,and can spread that money around home,creating more oppurtunities for their countrymen.

also,i fail to see where your title actually resembles the truth of the situation,they went on there own free will,not at gunpoint.
haliburton apparently has nothing to do with it,and even if they did,using the hotbutton word"slavery" is grossly inaccurate.
that is an emotional word used to elicit indignation without thought.
to often the liberal left mask the truth of a situation with emotionally charged words to cloud the actual facts of a debate and in the process show there true colors.
thats why i am and always will be a centrist,the right invokes religion and patriotism to cloud the issue,and the left uses emotionally misleading terms to cover the lack of argument....
reminds me of freaking gradeschool. :headbang:

It would seem so.
if you were on drugs maybe :)

Guys, if you're hoping for the end of Capitalism, then don't just concentrate on Marx.
There's much more acclaimed writers, with much better reputations (and better reasoned arguments IMHO) you could turn to:

Try Schumpeter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumpeter)!

My School of Economics at my Uni is a world-class "Schumpeterian School" - they host evolutionary economics meetings here all the time.
I dont want an end to capitalism I want an end to corporate communism

Casimir Poseidon, were you once MKULTRA? A buddy of mine told me about him, and I see a LOT of similarities.

Let it be noted that it's two non-US contractors hiring the asian workers. haliburton isn't hiring them at all.


Also, as an aside, Was the person who termed it slop ex-military or not. Cause if not then I highly distrust his qualification of slop.
no doubt their Halliburton subsidiary

Well, they weren't forced to go. Hell, I wouldn't force my worst enemy to Iraq.

not to sound cold or anything,absolutely not at all.

has anyone considered why they even went then?

could it be that back in there homeland they would be eating"slop" and making 20x less money,seriously,it's not like they were taken at gunpoint to iraq.

and i am pretty confident they knew what they would be paid,and what kinda hours they would put in.

is it unfair they are paid less then american contractors?
i'm not so sure.

it costs me 1500.00 a month to just pay my bills,and i rent,and dont have a car or motorcycle payment.just plain old bills and auto/cycle insurance.

now for me to go there,i would need alot of money to take the risk of death or mutilation(i would go for the right money)

i suspect that the companies take that into account when hiring subcontractors.

i would bet the wages the folks in question would earn at home are on the 50.00 to 100.00 a month range.

where i live we have lost alot of jobs to mexican immigrants due to there willingness to work for half the average american will,and to them it is a gold mine here compared to their home.

so it cuts both ways.

i am no conservative neo con by any stretch,and i see oppurtunity for these people,not slavery or exploitation.

they go home richer then anyone home,and can spread that money around home,creating more oppurtunities for their countrymen.

also,i fail to see where your title actually resembles the truth of the situation,they went on there own free will,not at gunpoint.
haliburton apparently has nothing to do with it,and even if they did,using the hotbutton word"slavery" is grossly inaccurate.
that is an emotional word used to elicit indignation without thought.
to often the liberal left mask the truth of a situation with emotionally charged words to cloud the actual facts of a debate and in the process show there true colors.
thats why i am and always will be a centrist,the right invokes religion and patriotism to cloud the issue,and the left uses emotionally misleading terms to cover the lack of argument....
reminds me of freaking gradeschool. :headbang:
the point is not that theyre making a decent living according to their own countrys standard of living--the point is halliburtons exploitation of them

Casimir Poseidon, were you once MKULTRA? A buddy of mine told me about him, and I see a LOT of similarities.
theres no such thing as identity

theres no such thing as identity

That was a "yes" or "no" question, buddy.

Well, they weren't forced to go. Hell, I wouldn't force my worst enemy to Iraq.
but our troops were forced to go thats why we must force them home

That was a "yes" or "no" question, buddy.
I am what I am

Granted, Halliburton isn't exactly hiring these people. Basically, they're hiring people to hire them. In my book, that is the exact same thing. Now, I will admit, 200 bucks a month is also a crapload more than what these people make. But, what percentage of 100,000 is 200? Lets see. That would be 0.2% of what Americans are making over there. Its al business. America is no longer a world superpower. Halliburton is.

Corpwatch.org is being disingenous

College graduates, COLLEGE GRADUATES in Hong Kong make about 1000 US a month. None of them work for Haliburton.

Truck drivers in Thailand make about $250.00 to $300.00 a month. None of them work for international companies.

I know a family here in Hong Kong whoes Fillipino maid has a Masters Degree in Biology from a university in the Phillipenes. She is also a former miss Phillipenes. She makes about $600.00 a month as a maid in Hong kong because her only other option is to be a prostitute in Mallia. Did Haliburton hire her as a maid? Indeed, other than domestic helpers, there is no minimum wage here and the international companes tend to pay BETTER than the locals.

Most people in China make about 300.00 to 500.00 a month and consider that a middle class income. They have a house and tv and refrigerator for that amount. Does Haliburton keep their wages low?

Whatever else these people are they are NOT slave. They aren't rounded up at gunpoint and FORCED to work in Iraq for a small wage. Indeed the wages you've discribed seem to high to them because the corput socialist anti-american, pro-everything you favor government exploits them and keeps them poor without needing any help from Haliburton.

This kind of report is a cannard

but our troops were forced to go thats why we must force them home
Isn't that a bit irrelevant to the point your making?

I'm not disagreeing with you, a thousand bucks a month is a nice sum for someone living in China. But, as an American, I'm into all that "equality" stuff. People working under the same conditions, doing the same work, deserve the same pay.

That's the biggest problem. This is not about how much 1000 dollars is worth in the Phillipenes, this is about how much 99,000 (I know I'm using the higher end of things) dollars is worth in the same nation. If you knew someone was doing the same stuff as you for an extra 99 grand, how would you feel?

I'm not disagreeing with you, a thousand bucks a month is a nice sum for someone living in China. But, as an American, I'm into all that "equality" stuff. People working under the same conditions, doing the same work, deserve the same pay.

That's the biggest problem. This is not about how much 1000 dollars is worth in the Phillipenes, this is about how much 99,000 (I know I'm using the higher end of things) dollars is worth in the same nation. If you knew someone was doing the same stuff as you for an extra 99 grand, how would you feel?

i'd want to move were they are....

and it is not about equality of pay or american companies would not outsource.period.

they went on there own free will,and are probably quadrupling there monthly income...i would do that in a minute and i certainly wouldn't whine that some one is making more then me...what a ludicris argument...equality of pay..thats plain silly.

using that logic..the reverse should happen to me if i went to china...i would get paid the wage that is prevailing for the average cost of living in china...which would maybe have me survive there,but wouldnt pay my utilities here.
so they are in affect,not being exploited(as much as all the handwringing...u.s. is evil folks would apparently like)but are actualy getting a leg up on there countrymen.

so if i go to china...should i be payed more since my col is more at home,or should i be paid 3x my homes pay?
like the asians are in iraq?

i know,since i am an american...screw me and i guess i should work for free since i exploited the world(well my country)...weel once the french and brits work for nothing for past sins...i will abstain.

okay,that got a bit loopy...sorry...my point is,these people went on there own/are not being exploited/are actually getting a hand up.

certainly not as the poster implied....slaves of haliburton...but actually pulling in quad what they would home.

if i can quad my income...please exploit me..and i promise i wont whine if someone makes more then me..lol :headbang:

Jeese...I just thought I told you that I'm agreeing it is good pay in their home nations. But if everyone is doing the same work, they should be payed the same, get the same benefets etc.

Look at it this way. Go to China and work as idk, maybe a mechanic. You will get paid as a mechanic in China, same wage. That may be enough to live on there. Now, Go be a mechanic with the same wage and come live in the US...wouldn't work. Now, would you be pissed that you are only earning 0.2% of what everyone around you was?

Corpwatch is reporting that tens of thousands of low-wage Asian laborers are traveling to Iraq to work for U.S. military contractors such as Halliburton.

wait a minute, wages? you said they were slaves

Corpwatch.org is being disingenous

College graduates, COLLEGE GRADUATES in Hong Kong make about 1000 US a month. None of them work for Haliburton.

Truck drivers in Thailand make about $250.00 to $300.00 a month. None of them work for international companies.

I know a family here in Hong Kong whoes Fillipino maid has a Masters Degree in Biology from a university in the Phillipenes. She is also a former miss Phillipenes. She makes about $600.00 a month as a maid in Hong kong because her only other option is to be a prostitute in Mallia. Did Haliburton hire her as a maid? Indeed, other than domestic helpers, there is no minimum wage here and the international companes tend to pay BETTER than the locals.

Most people in China make about 300.00 to 500.00 a month and consider that a middle class income. They have a house and tv and refrigerator for that amount. Does Haliburton keep their wages low?

Whatever else these people are they are NOT slave. They aren't rounded up at gunpoint and FORCED to work in Iraq for a small wage. Indeed the wages you've discribed seem to high to them because the corput socialist anti-american, pro-everything you favor government exploits them and keeps them poor without needing any help from Haliburton.

This kind of report is a cannard
the issue isnt how much they get paid in their own countrys the issue is Halliburton is exploiting them

wait a minute, wages? you said they were slaves
there is such a thing as wage slaves

certainly not as the poster implied....slaves of haliburton...but actually pulling in quad what they would home.

if i can quad my income...please exploit me..and i promise i wont whine if someone makes more then me..lol :headbang:

Just have to check a few things really. Stuff like whose holding onto their passports, whether they are getting paid as promised and so on. We get a few cases here of people being shipped in on what they think are legal grounds only to have their passports held onto and no pay for about three years before their employer skips town.

If Haliburton does that, no amount of paperwork is going to cover their ass.

Big dependency on the term IF.