Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“Come with us”
Voice 4
“I have paid the money. Why do I have to go with you?”
Voice 3
“Come.”
Voice 1
These words are from a new film called ‘Ghosts’. It is from the director Nick Broomfield. Broomfield is famous for his films about true events. ‘Ghosts’ is one of his most powerful stories. Ghosts are the spirits of dead people - no one can see them. In this film, Broomfield tells the story of the people no one wants to see - undocumented workers. These workers live and work without legal papers. It is like they do not exist. They are like ghosts. They have few rights. They live difficult lives in order to survive. Broomfield’s film is about the undocumented workers in Morecambe Bay, England. They became famous because of one tragic night in February 2004.
Voice 2
Today we look at the tragic events of Morecambe Bay. It was here that a group of Chinese workers lost their lives. But first, what were they doing in England? And how did they get there?
Voice 1
The Morecambe Bay story began months before in the country of China. Many of the workers were farmers. They were struggling because of economic difficulties. So they decided to leave for a better future. They believed that in a different country they could make money to help their families back home. So they went to snakeheads for help.
Voice 2
A snakehead is the term for a human smuggler in China. Snakeheads take people to other countries illegally. They smuggle people into countries like England. However, usually people do not know how difficult the trip will be. Snakeheads treat people badly. They transport them in dangerous ways. Sometimes they put people into the back of trucks. The trip can last for days or weeks. Snakeheads do not care if people have enough food, heat or even oxygen. Many people have died on such trips. Yet people pay a lot of money for this travel. It can cost as much as forty thousand dollars. Most people must borrow the money to pay for the trip. The workers at Morecambe Bay borrowed a lot of money to go to England. But when they arrived, life was not as they imagined.
Voice 2
The new arrivals did not know the ways of the new country - England. Everything was so different - the language, the people, the environment. And they did not have legal papers to work in England. So they found work with criminal gangmasters. The gangmasters provided false work documents. They also provided housing. Many people had to share the same house. They lived in terrible conditions. And they had to pay the gangmasters for the housing. So, much of the money they earned was for their debts. They had to pay the snakeheads for their travel debt, and the gangmasters for the housing costs.
Voice 1
Gangmasters make people work many hours and for low pay. This work is often in factories or farms. Or even in the sex trade. Gangmasters took the Chinese workers to Morecambe Bay by the sea. Here they collected shellfish from the sand. This involved digging up these small sea creatures. Workers had to bend over for hours to collect the shellfish. One of these workers was Guo Bing Long. He was twenty-eight years old. The work was very hard. But he thought of his family back home. So he continued to work. Usually shellfish collectors start work early. This is when the water current or tide goes out. The water flows away from the land. And people can walk on the sand. It is the best time to find the shellfish. And shellfish collectors stop working before the tide comes in. If they do not leave in time, there is a danger of drowning. The water can rise very quickly. But Guo Bing Long and his group worked late. Their gangmaster, Lin Lang Ren, made them work dangerous hours.
Voice 1
On the fifth of February 2004 a tragic event happened. Guo Bing Long was digging for shellfish. It was late at night. Suddenly the water started to come in. It happened very quickly. Guo was afraid. He was trapped by the water current. He needed help. But he did not know who to call. He used his mobile telephone to call his wife in China. He said:
Voice 5
“I am in great danger. I am up to my chest in water. Maybe I am going to die. Tell the family to pray for me. The water is too close. I am dying.”
Voice 1
Guo Bing Long drowned in the water and moving sands. Twenty-one [21] other people drowned too. And two other people are still missing. No-one found their bodies.
Voice 2
Guo Bing Long’s family was left in a terrible position. They owed money to the snakeheads for Guo Bing Long’s transport to England. This was true for many of the Morecambe Bay workers’ families. Mr. Lin Guo Guang also died owing money. He did not leave any money for his family. He could not. The gangmasters had not paid him for weeks. When he died they owed him two thousand [2000] dollars. Before he died he wrote to his wife:
Voice 6
“This is hell on earth. We are treated like animals here.”
Voice 2
He told his sons:
Voice 6
“You must study well at school and do well, and never end up working here like me!”
Voice 1
The gangmasters were not the only people to blame for the tragic event at Morecambe Bay. Some western employers were to blame too. They wanted low-priced labour. They did not question how the workers were treated. They closed their eyes to the problems.
Voice 2
The events at Morecambe Bay shocked the world. Some people in the British government tried to make the situation better for workers in the future. They passed a law in 2004 called The Gangmasters Licensing Act. This law was supposed to protect workers. But some people believe it is a weak law. They say the government must improve the laws more. If not the tragic events at Morecambe Bay could happen again.
Voice 2
Nick Broomfield hopes his film ‘Ghosts’ will improve the situation. He hopes it will make British citizens want to help. They can try to get better laws passed to protect undocumented workers. They can also give money to help the victims’ families. There is even a website called the Morecambe Victims Fund. It helps the families pay their debts. This will not bring back the Morecambe Bay victims. But their dream can come true. Their families will have the chance for a better future.
|