Impoverished hopelessness
It is not illegal to pay workers only a couple of dollars a day for their labour.
It is illegal for those workers to complain about the situation.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Naresh Gattu kills himself in sheer desperation at being too poor to return home for six years:
"This is the second reported suicide among low-paid workers in just two days. Indian electrician, Iqbal Alam, hung himself in a labour camp on Saturday also due to stress of not being able to go back home. 7DAYS reported earlier this year that in 2005 there were more than 100 reported cases of suicides among migrant workers."
These are human beings. They are not just little dark-faced Asian men, indistinguishable from one another in their blue boilersuits as they crawl ant-like over scaffolding in the burning midday sun. These are individual human beings with lives and loves and dreams, and they deserve better from all of us than this.
It is illegal for those workers to complain about the situation.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Naresh Gattu kills himself in sheer desperation at being too poor to return home for six years:
"This is the second reported suicide among low-paid workers in just two days. Indian electrician, Iqbal Alam, hung himself in a labour camp on Saturday also due to stress of not being able to go back home. 7DAYS reported earlier this year that in 2005 there were more than 100 reported cases of suicides among migrant workers."
These are human beings. They are not just little dark-faced Asian men, indistinguishable from one another in their blue boilersuits as they crawl ant-like over scaffolding in the burning midday sun. These are individual human beings with lives and loves and dreams, and they deserve better from all of us than this.
Labels: labourers
46 Comments:
If they dont like it they can leave...
Nobody forced these labourers to come here....
Work or leave you subcon scum, work or leave...
SD - I couldn't PM you with requisite discretion...
Do you not mean "Impoverished" perhaps?
With respect
kingfisher
well .. if you've ever read "earthbound misfit's" blog .. you'll know that he was just being sarcastic....
These people don't have money to go back home. Before coming to Dubai they are promised a lot of money and god knows what else, and they are charged thousands of dirhams for the "service" to get them to Dubai. In order to get this money they sell much of what they own, spend their savings and borrow money where they can.
WHen they come here they realize they have been tricked into slavery and they can't afford to pay back the loan or go back home.
Right now the government has the power to do something about it, but they choose not to. Because that would "ruin the economy". If you start paying human salary to the labourers, the cost of their precious Burj's and Palms will go way up and the bubble of Dubai is broken.
hdastoor, unjane:
Well, you see, I have decided that I am going to spout the same empty rhetoric that the authorities and our wonderful hosts spew every day....
Makes it much easier to deal with seeing the suffering that the subcons go through
Click here for a chance to win your soul back:
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@LadyOnTheTop
hdastoor - does the West and the other part of the world knows what is really going on in Dubai? I SURE AS HELL HOPE SO.
Lets face reality, we have millions of kids in Africa who die of hunger. Even Live 8 failed to do a damn thing.
When the contractors here compare that and a labourers life here, it's a brings a smile to their face. They're the angelic samaritans people just refuse to acknowledge.
Hey earthbound Fck.. listen to me stupid.. Without these poor 'subcon scums' dubai wouldn't be on the fcking map in the first place.. Have some fcking empathy you 'mindless' retard... Hey.. do yourself a favour and call Mohammed Ali Alabbar.. Here's his number 04.2223369. Call him and tell him you want to work for a whole day on the 45th floor of the Burj Dubai. Put in that blue uniform and do some work with these poor souls, then you fcking talk scum face... oh I'm sure at about 2 pm, you wouldn't like it and then you can just leave and delete your fcking comment on this blog with an apology to those human beings... fckin coño
great work Secret Dubai, good work anonymous and eff you Earthbound Misfit Demented cunt... I know a therapist who can bring you back to earth... But I wouldn't want to insult her... please change your name to HELLbound Fit I'm sure if you work in this heat, you'll be on 7days front page SUICIDE...
Another sad story about Indian workers and of course, we western expats know exactly who to blame: the A-rabs.
Its not the religion of the majority of these workers with its stupid caste system which has failed these human beings, nor is it their countries with their huge disparities in the distribution of wealth and with little or no eduction opportunities and god forbid we should blame their governments for turning a blind eye to middlemen (their fellow countrymen) who charge interest rates which in any other country would be criminal to "secure" these workers a job in the UAE.
Not at all, it is the greedy little A-rabs who expolit these people so much (unlike the bucolic workers paradise they leave back home) which are always to blame.
No doubt these A-rabs need to extract as much from these workers as possible to ensure that their mousey frustrated wives are constantly encrusted in diamonds.
But I know, discussing real causes to problems is hard work. Self-righteous indignation (especially of the hypocritical western ex-pat variety) against the first available target is easy and feels so good.
i feel such sympathy for these labourers. when i see them ... my heart aches. they get paid hardly nothing, are away from their families, more often than not their passports are taken from them, they get no free time and when they do - what money do they have to enjoy it... they all seem very sad to me.
ooooh. The hateful comments....
I can't take it anymore. Please stop. Please.....
I stand by my comments. I refuse to see the plight of the workers. Why should I care if the people of this country don't.
This is their country after all, and we shouldn't commen on their country...
to anonymous @ 12:47(with the rant about westerners and their righteous indignation),
I agree with you anonymous. There is more to this story and there are some real issues present, especially in these worker's home countries.
BUT
and this is a BIG BUT.
My issue with the treatment of labourers is mainly about the following:
- non payment of salaries
- miserable living conditions
- no rights
- no representation
Atleast if the labourers were in their own country, they can protest and try to make their cases known.
But not so in this country, where there are major penalties for any "anti-social" behaviour.
Why?? Why is it a problem if they let their discontent known? Why can't there be a labour union?
Why is it that you are physically prevented from taking pics of a labour camp?
A question we all have to ask is:
Who are the biggest contractors of labour in the UAE??
And who owns these companies??
Once you can answer those you will automatically know why labourers are not given any rights and why their salaries are not paid regularly and why these companies get away with it.
I think the lesson you (earthbound misfit) should learn (from anonymous 1) is that a lot of drops make up an ocean. Helping one person is better than nothing. Just do something instead of refusing to feel the plight of these human beings, instead of saying this is their country, not mine. Why the eff are you living/working here then? Secret Dubai has taken a step and all you wanna share is your refusal to an issue that is purely for the sake humanity. You wouldn't be living here if it wasn't for these subcon scums. Hell! You wouldn't earn your pithy wage if it wasn't for these human beings. So pull your pants up and grow some balls and learn to help people rather than being such a shit face.
On the basis of this argument I have to say I agree with the Earthbound Misfit. I think he or she started off being sarcastic and ended up having to defend a position because of the nature of the attacks on him/her. This subject makes people very emotional. When I first read SD's post I thought; sh*t, 100 suicides in a year. Then in my second thought I said but how many immigrant workers are there ? A million, more ? Of course, one is one too many but concentrate on the real issues. Not Earthbound Misfit's lack of respect but a lack of a legal system that protects individual rights that has been developed over hundreds of years that westerners take for granted. And I kind of sympathise with the attitude that until that is fixed anything else is just charity.
Alright...
Thats it.
Emilie. Recommended that you read my blog, and stop your stupid comments that I don't get what the worker's go through.
earthbound misfit - nobody forced them to come here but if your people were only a little bit evolved to the standards of the rest of the world - you would realize that human rights and dignity is given by civilized societies.
i dont understand what is so difficult here? Pay the workers a few dirhams more that they rightly deserve + give them humane living and working conditions that any evolved race would expect to give OR the negative publicity that is coming out of Dubai on a daily basis from these issues?
I am disgusted by your (earthbound misfit) initial comment. I wouldn't waste my time on your spurious blog and I wouldn't want to imagine your brummagem literature within. And please don't derogate to the issues of other countries. We are witnessing execrable human rights in Dubai, not poverty. And once you finish that 45th floor on the burj dubai, defenestrate yourself for the front page on 7 days. My humanity lies for these boys in blue, not your stolid comment.
For the love of GOD do none of you humourless, angry people understand sarcasm?
1. "Work or leave" is a constant (disgusting) refrain from locals here, earthbound is just taking the piss.
2. Take a look at Earthbound's blog in particularly this entry dated 18 April and try and figure it out for yourselves if he is racist. Here's an excerpt for those of you too lazy to even do that:
----------------------
"So why the double standards?? Is it cos, the expats are bad workers?? Is it cos those expats will go waste that extra money on booze and women and ruin the reputation of our beloved emirate??
"No I suspect it is cos those expats are mainly subcons and the ugly R-word has raised its ugly head again.
"If the promises to their own workers cannot be met, how can we expect them to regulate companies who dont pay their labourers. It would be kinda like the kettle calling the pot black.
"And before you start with the whole, it is our country and the gov't should look after its citizens first, remember that these very same expats that you look down upon have worked hard, raised families and contributed to this community as much as you have."
----------------------
Good god. I re-enabled anonymous comments to allow busier people to comment without having to register, and I end up with an absolute flock of fools and fuckwits.
thank you SD.
To anonymous @ 15:48.
I think I should make this clear, I am NOT a local.
So i don't know which "your people" you are referring to.
For all you know the men in blue might be my people.. and I would be proud if they were.
The should leave if they don't like it ! every one gets paid to do their job , We all get paid and if we don't like our jobs we leave ! this is not some kind of charity ! if you don't really like it then stop sitting on your arses and do something about it . they built this city and many more but they got paid they went home and built their own homes so stop being stupid extpat brats and sit their and complain. next time you go out to have a beer on the exclusive beach club that you are a member of think about the workers that built that beach club ! buy them a drink (not a beer) at christmas , easter , eid or what ever you celebrate. I bet that people are going to slam this post because reality hurts ! moan moan moan . This city is a business city and that is what it revolves around. you are here for money and so are they , with a difference in skills and lifestyle etc... I heard a dumbwit on the radio today say oh they get paid less than what i feed my dogs a day , less than my nail treatment at the spa. What a moron!!! some jumeriah jane talking about workers while having coffee at her local costa ! get a life and stop talking about what you don't know , next thing is that people will want citizenship so they can be equal with the locals ! get a life and if you don't like it go home.
no worries unjane.
we are all on the same side (except maybe anonymous @ 17:09)
It is heartbreaking really. Does anyone care?
Everyone on this planet wants a better life for themself and their family, and if that means going to the Emirates or the end of the world and working like a dog, we will do it, especially when there is little else "back home".
Impoverished Pakistanis are now lined up for work in Iraq... Sad.
Sooner or later (hope sooner) working conditions will become better. The EU has already started pressuring the UAE to improve working conditions for laborers or will be subjected to economic penalties. Something the UAE cannot afford. But of course money talks and bullshit walks. And money has bough the west’s silence for quiet a while. But at the end of the day Dubai and the UAE will have to give worker minimal rights or face the wrath of public displeasure.
Tarek
http://innocent-criminal.blogspot.com/
To peep who said that if they paid the workers more that would ruin the economy, that is wrong. It's purely 100% greed and here's the reason:
I read a comment on 7days the other day that said with the money spent on the "al bawadi" project (for those of you that don't know, it's that hospitality project that'll be made out of replicas of the tallest buildings in the world, including the burj dubai) you could increase a million workers' salaries by dh1000 a month for 10 years. I worked it out and it is no exaggeration. It comes out as 120bn while the fake tallest skyscrapers will cost 100bn.
The low wages are not a problem in and of itself: somebody offers a salary of Dh. 500/month plus accomodation plus food plus a flight here and back. Nobody is forced to agree to those terms, but many thousands jump at the opportunity. No problem there.
So what is the problem? Simple: non-payment of wages, confiscation of passparts, failure to provide adequate water or cooling in the housing facilities.
All of these things are technically illegal, but the problem is that they are never enforced by the authorities. Government-connected firms can refuse to pay wages for many months at a time with impunity. There is something perverse about the authorities claiming that for them to act, the workers have to file a written complaint to a government office in the city centre during business hours, and pay a fee for filing the complaint.
It's about as sick as that other proud emirati tradition: raping and beating (and sometimes murdering) domestic help, and then charging the victim with "seducing" the rapist, and having an "illicit relationship" with him. And then imprisoning and whipping the poor woman.
Slavery never went away here - it just morphed into a slightly different character.
SD, sorry that you feel bad about authorising anonymous posts but you are right, I and probably some others would not have posted otherwise.
This is a really sore subject and it gets to the root of all of or existences in the UAE.
Dubai exists because we built it bigger brasher and hotter than anyone else. We could do that because to build big things quickly you need.
1. cheap energy - like petrol
2. ready raw materials - like sand and rocks
3. willing labour - you get the picture.
We all exist here because of this situation, and this situation is here because of us, it is self perpetuating. If we didn't have this we'd be living in tents in the roasting heat uncared about by the rest of the world.
I think the Misfit opend the proverbial can of worms with his sarcastic comment that happens to be the first. Its a blessing in disguise, so to speak. Its a good thing that people actually do feel strongly about this matter and Ican see that no one here really feels that the workers brought this upon themselves. The real issue is what am I supposed to do about it? What are you going to do about it? What can be done to help? For starters, make this practice profitless in my opnion. Would you be able to sleep tight at night in one of these ivory towers knowing about the suffering and humiliation a human being had to endure while building it for you?
Let me start by CLEARLY stating I support the intent of the cause for the men in blue....because that's the way I am ...not because it is necessarily an improvement. Let me explain ....
Running my own (very small) company, I cannot compete with those that offer low (or no)salaries, no medical, no insurance etc etc. I pay labourers 1200 per month (thats more than double the market rate), I pay all empoloyemnt costs, each one attends safety/training courses of Dhs 2500 in their first 3 months, they get uniforms, Dhs 300 month food allowance, 2x overtime, Fully furnished accomodation (in Jumeirah - soon to be turfed out!), TV and 300 DVD's, Birthday party food/cake, etc. etc.
My friend, runs a similar business, pays labourers 500 a month, with 4 months delay, has no insurance, - deducts all employment costs, pays NIL food allowance, 1X overtime etc etc ...treats his staff like slaves.
Which Company do you think has:
1) No absconders?
2) Loyal staff
3) Early bird starters (without 5 phonecalls to wake them up)
4) Total respect from his workforce
5) A full order book
....etc etc.
well ...it isn't my company!
anonymouse
May I have a job at your company please? I work for a local airline and your terms and conditions look pretty good!
kingfisher
...love to ...we are short of pilots for some of our cleaning equipment ;-).
...but as i said, I cannot compete with the market rates of my competitors. I am torn between losing a business we have built up from scratch or to fall in line with the rest of the companies....since they seem to have the more successful business/labour employment model.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
^^Anonymous, count me in to. I'm also on the lookout for a job. I'm also in a small scale company, but I'm yet to come across any small company that respects the dignity of labour.
After reading all these comments I guess there is still some hope for Dubai/UAE.
They have changed the demographic of this country by getting all the expats here and we are going to start affecting their thinking and policies by posting stuff like this. Too bad this stuff stays (is kept) out of the mainstream media.
earthbound misfit: I checked your blog as soon as I read your post way up there. If only to spam it with nasty comments. And discovered that you were being sarcastic, as I hoped. Guess all the morons who post before investigating need to apologize to you. :S
Anonymous, @ 22 May, 2006 17:09, brings up a good point - how many of us are willing to give up our luxuries for the down-trodden?
Yes, we can end up giving them rights and stuff, but I really dont think that is enough. The fact would still remain that there are people who earn way too much and are living way too big. This is not about being free or liberated, but just basic human compassion.
Surely, we've got to do something about the plight of these workers. But, how can our conscience allow us to dwell in excesses when there is so much misery around in the World today? Anonymous is right - when was the last time you had a beer and enjoyed in one of those places built by those poor laborers and then thought about their well-being? I feel a lot of people who are in this labor rights talk are those who harbor some sort of jealousy with how this place is growing. I just know I have fed my neck into a guillotine here! But, I hope you understand the spirit of what I say before you judge me and bash me a la earthbound misfit.
Before you start talking of the down-trodden I think its wiser, more logical, and definitely more assertive if we give up some of our daily excesses. Think about it this way: It is our excesses that is creating the DEMAND; this demand is bringing new high-rises/hotels into existance; the construction for these needs workers; capitalistic economies in the 21st century dont give a toss about rights - just profits.
Outsurcing is a case in point. The concept is basically of CHEAPER labor. As people would say, "same shit, different asshole"!
I find the argument that there are other people more worse off in the world to be somewhat specious. If all politics begin at the local level then it makes sense that social concerns begin there as well. In other words -- if I live here, shouldn't I vent my outrage at the abject human misery I see as a result of what is essentially indentured servitude?
I reject the notion that just because we work here and are paid well, that this somehow automatically prevents us from speaking out against an unfair and exploitive system.
i, bobo - amen a thousand times.
Al Republican: Excesses? What excesses? most people I know in Dubai are struggling to make ends meet ... and yet these are the same people who are calling for better worker treatment and rights...what kind of people do you hang out with?
To the author of this post:
When we went to buy land in the emirates, we went to an estate agent first. This estate agent was a pakistani....He has two brand new lexus. He worked hard he told us.
You either use your head or dont.
The indians/paki workers spend their money on alcohon and fillipino prostitutes every month.
That is the truth man.
We may be expecting too much too quickly and things are changing ..
As late as 1951 slave trains passed from the Oman coast through Buraimi each year, en route to Saudi Arabia. According to Wendell Phillips in his book Oman Unknown; some 25 per cent of these caravans were intercepted by patrols of the Trucial Oman Scouts.
In the UAE, before 1960, life expectancy was around forty-five years.
Then in a blink, everything changed ...
!Christopher!
PS You would'nt beleive who reads your site.
PS You would'nt beleive who reads your site.
Who?! Sultan Qaboos? Diana Ross? Kim Jong Il?
I am curious now ;)
(Hope it's Kim...)
Hi. I have to say it's such a nice and informative blog, although I can't buy all the information provided here, whether they are true or just not true.
I lived in dubai for two years. I grew up in the Congo and in Canada. Nobody has rights in dubai. I have never felt so restricted and claustrophobic as i did there. The plight of the labourers was more upsetting to me than to see the poor in africa. At least they are in their own countries, to go home as they please to their families and love. They had freedom to walk in and out of their homes, to do as they please. The labourers have no sort of freedom whatsoever. Their lives so bleak and lonely; so far from their families, with no hope in sight of seeing them again. It breaks one's heart.
When I used to get lost there, driving around, I would always ask one of the labourers for directions...they didnt even know how they got to where they were. But they were always very polite and nice...and it felt good to just connect with them at times. I couldn't do much to change their plight...but I did try to put a smile on their faces.
I think those of us who are Western expats have to take a long look at why we are here in the first place. The tax-free salary, luxury accomodations, and ability to save money while still living at a high standard (including not having to clean your own house, do your own laundry, drive your own car, and a slew of outher services available here for very little money)--all this could only be possible if we lived in a system where many people were getting screwed over for the good of the few. It is not just about a corrupt construction company or Arab labor values. WE are part of the problem as much as everybody else. Don't have a solution but I think we all need to point the finger at ourselves as much as elsewhere...
Wow...I must really be doing something horribly wrong...Where can I sign up for your life?
I still wash my clothes, drive my own car, clean my own house...hmmm, and I'm not 'saving' any money either.
-- White, Western expat with master's degree
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