Sweat in a foreign land

Traveling through many states in Malaysia, I always heard workers talking about three words: boss, police, and "oti" (overtime). Whenever workers met, the question would inevitably come up: How is oti? Is it good?

We want "oti"

The agreed-upon daily wage between the broker and the employer is approximately 19-20 ringgit. This is also the minimum wage stipulated by the Vietnamese side. However, in reality, many workers have not received the agreed-upon amount. Some have had their wages reduced to 15-16 ringgit per day and have no one to turn to for help.

Most Vietnamese workers who come here want to work overtime, because according to their contract, they only receive 600 ringgit (equivalent to 2.7 million VND) per month. After deducting income tax, food, and living expenses, there's hardly anything left. Ironically, while Malaysian or other foreign workers go on strike to avoid overtime, Vietnamese workers go on strike or protest in various ways to be allowed to work overtime. According to labor contracts, overtime work is paid at 150%-200% of the regular wage, but not everyone has work and isn't paid according to regulations. Nguyen Van Khuyen, from Nam Dan, Nghe An province, working at a grinding stone factory in Subang 2 state, said: “We fought hard, and the owner finally allowed us to work three hours overtime a day, but the pay was the same as normal days, no difference at all. For every small mistake, we get 20-50 ringgit deducted.”

Minh Viet Thi Hong Minh, from Thanh Ba commune, Phu Tho province, currently working at Bilgel Garment Company in Ampang state, said: "I came here in 2004. According to the contract, my salary is 18 ringgit, but in reality, I only get 16 ringgit. Overtime pay is the same as normal, but if I don't work, I have no income." Minh's day starts from 8 am to 12 am, with 6 pm onwards considered overtime. During that time, Minh has to sew 200 T-shirts, earning 2 ringgit for every 12 shirts. Her total monthly income is about 1,000 ringgit.

The cost of living in Malaysia is two or three times higher than in Vietnam. A regular plate of rice costs about five ringgit, and a bunch of water spinach costs three ringgit. Many workers have organized their own cooking to suit their tastes and save money, but even then, they still spend at least 100-150 ringgit per person per month. With an income of around 600 ringgit, only daughters can send money home, while sons struggle to make ends meet.

1,001 side jobs

With low incomes and no family support, Vietnamese workers have had to find ways to earn money to send home. One of those options is to take on additional work outside of their regular jobs.

At a makeshift market in Subang 2, I bought a pack of Vinataba cigarettes from a Vietnamese female worker for four ringgit, almost double the price in Vietnam. Thao, the seller from Thuy Nguyen, Hai Phong, works in a garment factory but earns a low salary, so she sells her goods on her days off. Her tools of the trade are a bag containing cigarettes, alcohol, shrimp paste, and Vietnamese music CDs and DVDs. Thao had these items sent from Vietnam. A CD of Dam Vinh Hung's music or Xuan Hinh's comedy costs 10 ringgit, and a small bottle of shrimp paste costs five ringgit. "The profit isn't much, it's mostly just working for a living," she said.

Tran Hoang Hiep, originally from Bac Ninh province, sells monkey and python bone extract. Malaysia has many forests and wild animals, including monkeys living in large groups, even in some cities. Only Chinese and Vietnamese people would think of killing monkeys to make bone extract, even though this is strictly prohibited. Those caught killing wild animals can face up to five years in prison. But, “Once it’s made into bone extract, nobody knows what it is. Once, when the police asked, I said it was ground fish, so they let me go. Besides, I just buy it and resell it to others.” Each block of monkey bone extract weighs about 100g, and Hiep makes a profit of about 10 ringgit. This type of extract is quite popular because migrant workers often buy it to give to relatives back home.

Here, I was offered a type of liquor by Vietnamese workers that I had never heard of in my country. The ingredients for making this liquor are baking powder (used for making dumplings) and sugar. After soaking them together in a certain ratio for about a week, the mixture ferments and is distilled in the same way as rice wine is made in Vietnam. The liquor is pungent and can have an alcohol content of up to 30 degrees. Those who are not used to it experience headaches and dizziness for several days. However, this type of liquor is quite popular among the Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Cambodian communities, selling for 10 ringgit per liter and a half. Many Vietnamese workers have chosen this as a side job or to resell it retail. No one knows how harmful this liquor is, but there have been cases of sudden death after drinking it.

Selling cigarettes, selling monkey balm, or illegally brewing alcohol are all considered illegal occupations in Malaysia. Workers can be arrested at any time for tax evasion, selling prohibited goods (Malaysia strictly prohibits private alcohol production), and imprisoned. Despite this, many Vietnamese workers still take the risk. Hiep told me, "When you're hungry, you have to crawl on your knees; if you don't work, where will you get the money to send back home to pay off debts?"

The status of an employee

In late July 2007, Phan Thi Nguyet, a Vietnamese female worker from Que Phong district, Nghe An province, working at the Pasar Kecil supermarket in Subang 2, contracted tuberculosis. Nguyet coughed up blood, but her employer refused to let her see a doctor, deducted her salary for time off, and did not arrange for her to return home. For many months, Nguyet's salary was reduced to only a few dozen ringgit. Nguyen Trung Kien, from Linh Phu commune, Chiem Hoa district, Tuyen Quang province, her colleague, recounted: "Sometimes Nguyet fainted at work, and we had to take her to the hospital and take turns caring for her. Nguyet's health deteriorated, so three months ago the employer finally arranged for her to return home. It's a great thing Nguyet was able to go home; if she had stayed, she probably wouldn't have survived until now."

In the contract, workers are guaranteed food, accommodation, and healthcare by their employers, but in many cases, they are only housed in makeshift rooms that do not meet living and security requirements.

Nguyen Van Thanh, originally from Chau Son commune, Chiem Hoa district, Tuyen Quang province, currently works in a restaurant. He recounted: “Besides not being allowed to work overtime, the owner also finds every way to deduct wages. You won't believe it, but some months my income is only a meager six ringgit. How can I survive?!” When asked why he didn't seek intervention from Vietnamese authorities, he replied: “At first, we called the labor brokerage company, which has a representative in Malaysia. They promised to come down immediately, but we waited and waited and they never showed up. When we called again, they said the phone number was no longer reachable.”

According to Ho Chi Minh City Law