The description of the working conditions, job availability in the region, and worker treatment reminds me of the initial few chapters of Manna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manna_%28novel%29). In the novel, employees are instantly replaceable cogs in a machine and are treated with complete disrespect. As there are more people than there are available jobs, any slacking at all results in employee termination. I guess the story wasn't such a fiction, after all.