Blood, Sweat & Tears: Asia's Poor Build US Bases in Iraq

[NVMojo]

October 3, 2005

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.

more...

http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12675

[sandnsea]

1. Posted in GD & GDP?

This needs to get out there. I fucking hate this shit more than the cronyism itself. If you're going to fuck the government out of millions of dollars, at least spread it around to the laborers. This also fits right into Davis-Bacon and Katrina. Mother fuckers.

[eridani]

2. With the unemployment rate in Iraq what it is?

Jeebus! Are they insane, or just crazy?

[NVMojo]

3. I'm surprised the repukes DON'T have a problem with this ...

[cap]

4. the neocons adore the British empire

and have tried to emulate its excesses.

[Randers]

5. sigh

that is very depressing.