IndiaPost.com - Indian workers end march, meet Sen

WASHINGTON: Indian workers, who claimed they were lured to move to the US by false promises of permanent jobs, ended their 1,500-km march to Washington and demanded that New Delhi help stop "human trafficking" and order a CBI probe into their case.

The nearly 100 workers, who began their march - "journey for justice"--in New Orleans on March 18 to protest the "slave-like treatment" at a Mississippi shipyard, met Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen and also demanded that necessary steps be taken to prevent abuse of workers under H2B visa program.

The Embassy and the Indian government will go the extra mile in taking care of the workers' safety, security and dignity, Sen told workers who reached the Indian mission carrying placards and shouting slogans.

The workers have also alleged that the Indian government is not doing anything to protect them. Sen met the workers, who had quit Signal International plant in Pascagula in Mississippi on March 6 alleging they were being forced to live and work under inhuman conditions, for over three hours patiently listening to their concerns and demands.

The workers have already sued their employer in the U.S. "I will convey this request," Sen said responding to the demand for a CBI probe. The workers, however, said they needed more than symbolic assurance.

"What we need is action, not just symbolic assurances," said R Pazhambalakode. Signal, meanwhile, sought to put the blame on recruiters, saying it had fired Global Resources after it learnt that it had deceived workers by demanding highly excessive fees and making false promises about green card. Sabulal Vijayan, one of the spokespersons for the Indian workers, said that many of them were forced to shell out between USD 15,000 to USD 20,000 on a false promise of a green card or permanent residency.

"We knew it was a H2B visa only at the very end." Sen reminded the protesting workers that they cannot breach established diplomatic protocol by directly interceding with agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Immigration and Customs Services or the Department of Justice. "Both Signal and our employees were misled.

We are going to stand by our workers and do what we can to help them get justice. The recruiters' abuses cannot be tolerated," Signal International President and CEO Richard Marler said. Signal will also pursue claims against Global Resources, its principal Michael Pol, other recruiters, and immigration attorney Malvern Burnett for charging the temporary workers excessive fees and making false promises about the green card process," a company statement said.

The NGO groups and their officials representing the 100 Indian workers have said that a class action law suit has been filed in New Orleans focusing on anti-racketeering against Signal International, the American and Indian recruiters.

"We will not directly contact the US Immigration or Customs but we have already sensitized. We primarily deal with the State Department... We do not intend to get in touch with the Immigration or the Department of Justice," Sen said, adding "I will do what is in the interests of the citizens of India". "We do not dictate and we do not give ultimatums.

That is the way we operate," he said when repeatedly asked by the organizers if he can come up with a specific timeline to address the grievances of the workers.

"We can take certain action in our country... But we cannot give any timeline to US authorities on how to go about it," Sen said in response to a question.