In a tiny country on the Arabian Gulf, 2006 could go down in history as pivotal in the struggle for recognition among a largely South Asian migrant labour force. Earlier this year, a short while after the Ports fiasco threw a spotlight on all things Dubai, 2,500 Asian construction workers rioted in Dubai at the site of what will be one of tallest skyscrapers on the planet. This was only the tip. Kicking off the aftermath Human Rights Watch released a condemning report on worker abuse in the U.A. of E:
One of the world’s largest construction booms is feeding off workers in Dubai, but they’re treated as less than human,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s no surprise that some workers have started rioting in protest. What’s surprising is that the government of the UAE is doing nothing to solve the problem.”
Migrant workers comprise nearly 90 percent of the workforce in the private sector in the UAE. They are denied basic rights such as freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. [Link]
In addition, they urged countries to involve improvement of labour practices when negotiating free trade agreements with the U.A.E. This type of international media coverage has put a considerable amount of pressure on government to amend existing labour laws. Though the U.A.E. Minister of Labour, Dr. Ali Bin Abdullah Al Ka’abi, denied all claims present in the Human Rights Watch report it took him a heartbeat’s worth of time since to announce that worker unions could be legal by end of year.
I respect Al Ka’abi for championing new ideas, which are taken for granted elsewhere in the world, I understand he has to keep up appearances in a political environment that is becoming increasingly hostile towards opinion in the West. The whole ports deal left many feeling a little jipped, no doubt. However, the U.A.E. government has never been a sharp tool when it comes to effort that doesn’t result in monetary profit. In my opinion, Al Ka’abi needs to do a whole lot better, quite a bit faster.
In 2004, the Labour Ministry introduced a law requiring companies to pay a bank guarantee of Dhs. 3000 for each new hire and a special discount price for all existing employees. This guarantee was meant to cover workers’ salaries in case of nonpayment by employer. As a bonus side effect, construction companies were provided with another reason (in addition to paying for visa costs) to keep salaries low and work hours numerous. Imagine that! Wouldn’t have thunk it in a million years…
If private companies are hard to control with poorly outlined measures then private staffing companies are an even bigger problem, both in the U.A.E. and abroad. These firms recruit cheap labour from South Asia, promising them steady salaries, then confiscate their passports on arrival while wrangling out repayment of visa and flight costs. The latest measure put forth by the Ministry involves shutting down such agencies and creating government-owned “cities” where the labour force would reside. Al Ka’abi has also been mentioning the creation of a singular staffing agency, overseen by the government, to process all labour recruitment and be held responsible for paying salaries. This move would affect a large majority of labourers whose lives have been crippled by having to repay illegal loans to scammy recruitment agencies.
Meanwhile, this past Friday marked the end of a five-day strike by 1,500 workers demanding a Dhs. 1000 minimum monthly wage. That’s about $272 U.S. A month. For minimum eight hour work days, six to seven days a week. The workers’ demands were rejected because a raise “goes against their legal contracts with the company, which have always paid them on time.”
Meanwhile, a 29-year old U.P. native, Iqbal Alam, hung himself in a labour camp because he was not allowed to return home.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Birbal Singh was crushed to death after being run over by a construction vehicle while working on a beautification project in one of Dubai’s most wealthy neighbourhoods.
There is a definite disconnect on the lines of urgency between labour demands and government proposals. Any movement towards improving workers lives seems to be borne of external pressure, whether in the form of international opinion or labour protest. Significant action is required on the government’s part as workers begin to realize and act on their own market value, these folks who have given their lives to build other people’s dreams should not have to settle for any less. What the U.A.E. needs to understand is that they probably won’t:
According to 36-year-old Kamal (not his real name), who spearheaded the Burj Dubai protest, more needs to be done. “These protests received attention in the press and were forgotten about, we need to do more. I was involved in a sit-down protest on the motorway last month, but the police came along with sticks and beat us on the backs and head. Many of my friends were hospitalised and deported. The riot got a lot of attention, but things haven’t improved for us. We already know what we have to do next, we take our protests into the malls and to the beaches. Our situation needs international attention and only by unsettling tourists can we achieve this. They need to see how desperate we really are” [Link]
