Lack of adequate accomodation for UAE’s construction workers

by Rhys Jones

Labourers live in terrible conditions according to recent findings.
A Spate of inspections carried out by labour inspectors from the UAE’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has revealed that a host of construction companies are supplying inappropriate accommodation for workers. A total of 33 089 inspections in Dubai and the Northern Emirates over a seven month period resulted in the blacklisting of 1099 companies, many of which are construction firms.

Despite the introduction of regulations to curb such labour law violations, many construction companies have been flagrantly and repeatedly breaking the law. The most common violations committed by companies was found to be the non-payment of salaries, the recruitment of illegal immigrants as well as the provision of inappropriate accommodation for workers. According to a high-ranking Ministry of Labour official, it is usually smaller firms that are causing the instability in the labour market.

“While large companies are more committed towards providing a decent standard of accommodation for their employees, many others do not show any genuine interest in improving the living conditions at their workers’ camps,” said Abdullah bin Suloum, director of the Labour Inspection Department.

Furthermore, the ministry has recently made it a prerequisite for companies applying for group visas to clearly state in the labour contracts the provision of proper housing for their workers.

“Now we do carry labour inspection of the labour camps before approving the companies’ applications for new employment visas for large group of workers to ensure that the place where they will be accommodated is meeting the required specifications,” bin Suloum added.

In order to complement this new move, the ministry is also engaging a number of its labour inspectors in training courses in industrial safety and security, because of the importance of monitoring and maintaining high levels of occupational and industrial safety in the industrial sector.

http://www.itp.net/business/news/details.php?id=13021&category=construction

I don’t believe any one can claim ignorance to sad state of affairs around those poor men that play such a major role in the construction in the UAE.
Whether you see it as one step above slave labour or a great chance for them to earn an income and provide for their family far beyond any other chance. There is no denying that conditions in these camps are far from favourable. The hours and conditions that these people work on are way beyond what we may every encounter. And these hard ships are often forgotten, Brushed to the back ground behind the splendour of so many new towers and projects across the emirates.

So the news is this article should come as no surprise to many of us here.
What do think about these labours and their conditions.

I guess after all the fires and dangers some thing must be done. But this is hardly the revelation response to conditions that exist in the camps

I really feel sorry for them. In qatar whenever one of these workers die cause of the heat the newspapers try to cover it up. The only chance they have for a break is when temp. hit over 53 C then they get to stay home. So if the temp was 52 C theyre working like animals outdoors. But trust me, in america the construction worker who are usually from mexico have it bad also!! Its everywhere, unfortuantly someone has to do the dirty work. I just wish they would let them work night times or something rather than under the sun.

i know would be a slight relief