This short documentary shows the dire labour conditions of migrant workers in the Malaysian electronics industry. Men and women from Nepal, Indonesia and other countries come as contract workers to work for Dell, HP, Intel and other well known companies.
Migrant workers pay several thousands of dollars in commissions to labour agents to get work permits. Workers often go into debt to obtain such permits which may grant them a stay in Malaysia for a five year maximum. Time to pay off these debts is limited, while the pay is low.
Migrant workers face discrimination in Malaysian society as well as on the work floor, and have to accept bad housing conditions. The work load is heavy, and when migrant workers fail to meet set targets, they risk immediate dismissal. When migrant workers get pregnant or fall ill, they are sent back home at their own expense.
The documentary has been produced by Moritz Siebert in cooperation with World Economy, Ecology, Development (WEED), for the European Procure IT Fair campaign.