Indignation in Europe after the death of a Hungarian worker in Mongolia
A plastic bag brought from Ulaanbaatar to Budapest and the story behind its arrival has raised concern and indignation in Hungary, a European country with numerous Mongolian immigrants.
The bag contained the ashes of János Pécsi, a Hungarian skilled worker employed by Altain Khuder LLC.
He died in south Mongolia one month after his arrival. His death took place because of the terrible conditions in which foreign and local employees work in some places in this country.
Pécsi’s story began last year in Budapest. According to the Hungarian magazine Barikád, representatives of the Altain Khuder in Hungary put several advertisements in newspapers looking for skilled workers to come to Mongolia, in exchange a salary of about USD 1600 would be paid.
The first problems arose when the Hungarian workers were not provided with work permits, but with tourist visas. They also did not sign any contract before their arrival in Mongolia. All the legal procedures were done only after arriving in Ulaanbaatar.
The European workers were hired to build an enrichment plant. Pécsi – a professional electrician – was contracted to work as a dispatcher, but once in Mongolia the Europeans found themselves working between 12 and 14 hours a day, from morning till night, including 15 night shifts in a row, shovelling iron dust with temperatures plummeting to -40°C.
Although a Hungarian chef was promised in the ads, all that the Hungarian workers found in the Gobi was the typical nomadic cuisine: mutton fat, tea and a ‘European delicatessen’, dry bread, certainly a poor diet for that kind of work even for Mongolians who are used to it.
The accommodation was not fit for living in the harsh winter conditions. The workers did not have hot water and their rooms were unheated, informs the Hungarian FN24.
Bad weather, a sparse diet, and difficult working conditions eventually lead to an accident. After being examined by the doctor at the plant, the injured employees were told to keep on working, although according to János Kiss, one of the workers, many of them should have been sent to the hospital.
It seems that it is not the first time that European workers have been exploited in thisway. Slovaks and Romanians have long left Mongolia due to hard and inhuman conditions.
Unfortunately, the Hungarian authorities did not pay much attention to the complaints of the fworkers. Although they asked for help from the embassy in Beijing (there is no official representative in Ulaanbaatar), nothing was ever done.
Pécsi was a healthy person – he had passed an extensive medical exam before arriving in Mongolia – died after 30 days working on the site. His ashes were sent to Hungary in a Chinese porcelain jar inside a plastic bag.
Pécsi was born in a rich country. He had a European passport. His death was reported by tens of newspapers, TV stations, magazines, and other media outlets/
Pécsi’s death must be a warning to the Mongolian Government. How many workers die every year in this country due to the inhuman conditions they work under? Most of them are not from Hungary or any other European country. They come from poor families in forgotten regions of Mongolia. No media will discuss the death of a shepherd who was working in a mine 14 hours a day in temperatures reaching -40°C. May the death of Pécsi serve to improve the conditions for all the workers in Mongolia.
The bag contained the ashes of János Pécsi, a Hungarian skilled worker employed by Altain Khuder LLC.
He died in south Mongolia one month after his arrival. His death took place because of the terrible conditions in which foreign and local employees work in some places in this country.
Pécsi’s story began last year in Budapest. According to the Hungarian magazine Barikád, representatives of the Altain Khuder in Hungary put several advertisements in newspapers looking for skilled workers to come to Mongolia, in exchange a salary of about USD 1600 would be paid.
The first problems arose when the Hungarian workers were not provided with work permits, but with tourist visas. They also did not sign any contract before their arrival in Mongolia. All the legal procedures were done only after arriving in Ulaanbaatar.
The European workers were hired to build an enrichment plant. Pécsi – a professional electrician – was contracted to work as a dispatcher, but once in Mongolia the Europeans found themselves working between 12 and 14 hours a day, from morning till night, including 15 night shifts in a row, shovelling iron dust with temperatures plummeting to -40°C.
Although a Hungarian chef was promised in the ads, all that the Hungarian workers found in the Gobi was the typical nomadic cuisine: mutton fat, tea and a ‘European delicatessen’, dry bread, certainly a poor diet for that kind of work even for Mongolians who are used to it.
The accommodation was not fit for living in the harsh winter conditions. The workers did not have hot water and their rooms were unheated, informs the Hungarian FN24.
Bad weather, a sparse diet, and difficult working conditions eventually lead to an accident. After being examined by the doctor at the plant, the injured employees were told to keep on working, although according to János Kiss, one of the workers, many of them should have been sent to the hospital.
It seems that it is not the first time that European workers have been exploited in thisway. Slovaks and Romanians have long left Mongolia due to hard and inhuman conditions.
Unfortunately, the Hungarian authorities did not pay much attention to the complaints of the fworkers. Although they asked for help from the embassy in Beijing (there is no official representative in Ulaanbaatar), nothing was ever done.
Pécsi was a healthy person – he had passed an extensive medical exam before arriving in Mongolia – died after 30 days working on the site. His ashes were sent to Hungary in a Chinese porcelain jar inside a plastic bag.
Pécsi was born in a rich country. He had a European passport. His death was reported by tens of newspapers, TV stations, magazines, and other media outlets/
Pécsi’s death must be a warning to the Mongolian Government. How many workers die every year in this country due to the inhuman conditions they work under? Most of them are not from Hungary or any other European country. They come from poor families in forgotten regions of Mongolia. No media will discuss the death of a shepherd who was working in a mine 14 hours a day in temperatures reaching -40°C. May the death of Pécsi serve to improve the conditions for all the workers in Mongolia.
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