They worked on one of Orlen's flagship investments and were left without money, insurance, documents and without a work permit. Libin and Balu – two employees from India – told what their employment was like during the construction of a petrochemical plant for PLN 25 billion.
They came to Poland for a better life and wanted to send the money they earned to their loved ones. In a conversation in front of the camera “Attention!” TVN Libin and Balu told their story. – My name is Libin and I come from India. I have two children, a boy and a girl, a wife and a mother, said one of them.
Libin mortgaged his house to obtain a Polish visa and work permit for PLN 20,000. After working on the plantation, he was tempted by an advertisement: “work in Płock”. Orlen is building an oil complex there for PLN 25 billion. The main contractor – the Korean concern Hyundai – employs dozens of subcontractors, who in turn employ thousands of foreigners, such as Libin and Balu.
– The old government pretended that there were no migrants here – points out Bartosz Józefiak, reporter of “Uwagi!” TVN.
The men lived in inhumane conditions – fifty people in a building, six-eight people in a room. They had one bathroom to use for the entire floor.
After two months of slave work without pay, Libin and Balu had enough and turned to their superior, but they did not achieve the expected result. “You don't want to work, go away. Take your luggage and go” – this was the answer Libin was supposed to hear. As he informed reporters, his superiors had previously promised him an employment contract and remuneration of PLN 23 per hour. He was expected to work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week.
– We remained convinced that this place was a model place. I think this is exploitation, commented Irena Dawid-Olczyk from the La Strada Foundation Against Trafficking in Human Beings and Slavery.
Interview with Bartosz Józefiak, co-author of the reportTVN24
Accusations of violence
Things won't be any better in the container town built by Orlen. Foreign bosses, called bosses there, are even accused of using violence. – I heard about cases where, for example, they were kicked in the butt by their superiors – he told reporters of “Uwaga!” TVN A Pole who worked on this construction site for a long time.
– It was a shock that on such a construction site, a giant on this market, it turns out that such pathologies are possible. It's simply unimaginable – comments Agnieszka Madejska from “Uwaga!” TVN. – This is a shame for Poles. Our Polish interlocutors, because there are also those who disagree, say that it is simply a disgrace – says Bartosz Józefiak from “Uwaga!” TVN.
The whole story ended dramatically for Libin and Bal. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, they were thrown out of the hostel where they were staying. – A Korean came, I was beaten and thrown out of the hostel. My belongings were kicked outside with my foot, Balu said. The man is desperate because he doesn't know what to do now. – I'm left without a job, I don't send money home, and my wife went to hospital where she is to have an operation. I feel like crying, the man confessed.
Main photo source: “Attention!” TVN