A Vietnamese migrant worker in Saudi Arabia recently sneaked onto Facebook to ask for help from her compatriots to get out of terrible work conditions, adding that many other Vietnamese were in the same situation.
The 28-year-old woman who called herself V said that she signed a labour contract with the Vinh Cat Company in Hanoi to work in Saudi Arabia.
But according to her Facebook postings, it was not what she expected. "I flew to Saudi Arabia on July 12, 2014. I worked for my first employer for 1 month, but was only allow to sleep three to four hours a day. I was only allowed eat a bowl of plain rice or a piece of moldy bread each day. When I was sick, I wasn't sent to the hospital. Instead, they only poured acid on my hands," she stated.
V in Saudi Arabia
The post goes on to recall a succession of employers, for whom she worked in conditions akin to slavery. She ended the post with a plea: "Today I write this letter to ask for your help in returning to Vietnam. When I called the Vinh Cat Company, they told me that I had to pay VND58 million before they send me back."
In her contract, V was promised a salary of VND 7 million per month, healthcare, per basic labour rights and at least eight hours of rest per day.
A representative of Vinh Cat Company, Van Anh, said that none of V's claims were true, and that if anything were wrong with the employees, the company would intervene immediately.
According to Van Anh, V's salary was over VND 9 million and that, just a few months earlier, V sent photos and notes saying that she was happy.
