The lives of hundreds of Indian workers, most of them Keralites, are under threat in the US Army camps in Iraq due to the escalating tension in the country, said three workers who returned home following the Centre’s intervention.The three — Peter Thomas, Anil Kumar and Justin C. Antony — said they were recruited by some agencies for jobs in Jordan and then smuggled into Iraq. The freed workers said all employees had to live in dingy cubicles in the camp and their movements were restricted. And they could call home only once or twice a month, they said. The average monthly salary of a worker is $250, including daily overtime of four hours. After deducting $45 towards food and accommodation, a worker gets only $165 in hand. The three workers claimed they had paid between Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000 to the recruiting agencies for the visa. When they protested, they said, they were targeted by their employer Dawood and Partner, a Jordanian firm.When they leaked out the working conditions to newspapers in India, Thomas’ name was mentioned in a report. For this, he was allegedly locked up and beaten for 32 days. They and a few others were sent back to India following the intervention of the Union Government. Sameer Sayed Khan, a native of Mumbai, who was released with them, had not reached home till last week, they said.Thomas alleged that a Kochi-based firm, that had recruited him on behalf a Mumbai recruiting agent, was threatening him for exposing the conditions in the camps. He hails from Karippuzha.
