#07#09 #12#21 union view U nion Confederation I T U C nternational Trade May 2011

g Matilde Gattoni Hidden faces of the Gulf miracle

Behind the gleaming cities of Doha (Qatar) and (UAE), stories of migrant workers with few rights and inhuman living conditions. UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 2 VIEW towers ofGulfcities liesbehindgleaming Migrant worker misery I room incompany accommodation. Foodisbasic, sanita- blistering heat, themenare squeezedintouptotena Bussed homeexhaustedafterlong hoursworkinginoften Sonapur ortheIndustrial Area ontheoutskirts ofDoha. ing, dust-clogged, male-onlysuburbslikeDubai’s notorious they inhabitovercrowdedbarrack-like housing, insprawl- Far fromtheair-conditioned mallsandbeachfront condos, the oil-richnationsofGulfonapromisefatwages. and aslewofotherdevelopingcountrieshasbeenluredto The armyofmenfromIndia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Somalia across these Arabian boomtowns. shopping centres, hotels, stadiumsandmuseumssprouting workers whosetoilcontinuestobuildthenewtowers, in totheGulfstatesmaynotseearemillionsofmigrant What thetourists, sportsfansandbusinesstravellersjetting architecture ofitsnewMuseumIslamic Art. a MiddleEasternManhattanacrossthebayfromiconic The downtownskylineofQatar’s capital alreadyglistenslike programme inpreparationforthe2022 World Cup. several gearsasworkkicksoffonamassiveinfrastructure In Doha, anongoingbuildingboomispoisedtomoveup shopping mallsandvastartificialislands. world’s tallestbuilding, mostluxurioushotelsandbiggest Dubai oozesglamourandbristleswithsuperlatives: the Gulf. new cities springing out of the desert coast of the Persian new citiesspringingoutofthedesertcoastPersian t’s hardnottobeimpressedbyafirst sight ofthegleaming nations. to thelocalcompanies thatsponsoredtheirtravelto theGulf employers. A systemknownasKafalabindsforeign workers The migrantshavefewchancesof escaping fromabusive thing back, butthere’s nothing. They aredesperate.” months…their familiesareexpecting themtosendsome- “There arepeopleherewhonot gettingpaidforseveral Dubai’s swankyfinancialdistrict. living 10toaroominslumareabeneaththetowersof ing likethis,” saysSaaed*aPakistanidrivervisitingfriends formed thedesertintoabeautifulcityandnowtheyareliv- “These arethepeoplewhomadethiscountry, whotrans- their strugglingfamilies. ran uptofundtheirpassagetheGulfletaloneprovidefor traumatised migrantsstrugglingtopayoffthedebtsthey they werepromisedbackintheirhomelands, leavingthe in theGulftodiscovertheyarepaidconsiderablylessthan Conned byunscrupulousrecruitmentagents, workersarrive salaries arepaidmonthsoverdue. beyond whattheycanearnathome. All toooftenhowever, for thechancetosupporttheirfamilieswithwagesway they arewillingtoputupwiththeheatandharshconditions The migrantworkersarenothingifnotresistant. Manysay insurance. 40˚C. Manyworkatdangerousjobswithlittleornohealth sometimes ineffectualwhensummertemperaturessoarover andair-conditioningtion oftenrudimentary whenitexistsis g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 May 2011 • 3 VIEW Dubai Police General Department of Legal and Disciplinary Dubai PoliceGeneralDepartmentofLegalandDisciplinary proven,” ColMohammedalMur, directorgeneralofthe “We intendtodeporttheworkerswhoseinvolvementis according toBangladeshiauthorities, deportedfromDubai. workers accusedofinstigatingthestrikewerearrestedand, ties’ responsewasuncompromising. SeventyBangladeshi were reportedlyaslow650dirham($175). The authori- foranincreaseinmonthlysalariesthat struck inJanuary 3,000 workersatthegiant Arabtec constructioncompany When theydo, theycanexpectaharshresponse. Some organize protestagainsttheirconditions. UAE andQatar, somigrantworkershavelittlechanceto Trade unionsareeffectivelybannedunderthelawsof charity. “Now, Ijustwanttogohome.” and yellowricefromabackstreetsoupkitchenrunbylocal he explainsasstandsinlineforaladleofvegetablecurry “I wenttothecompanygetmypassportbuttheyrefused,” refused topayhiswages. year-and-a-half sincerunningawayfromasponsorwho earning apittanceworkingintheblackmarketforover Ali, atailorfromtheIndianstateofUttarPradesh, hasbeen papers orfundstosecureapassagehome. banned fromlegalworkintheirhostnationandwithoutthe migrants simplyabscond. They findthemselvesinlimbo, In desperationatill-treatmentorunpaidwages, some when theydoseeklegalredress. dures canleavetheworkerswaitingformonthswithoutpay application ofnewlawsispatchy, andlengthycourtproce- taken stepsrecentlytoimprovethemigrants’situation, but contacts. GovernmentsinbothQatarandtheUAEhave before theendoftheir ensure theydon’tleavethecountry job, andcompaniesfrequentlyholdmigrants’passportsto The workersneedtheiremployers’authorizationtoswitch mates suggestuptoonemillionadditionalworkerswillbe investments areexpectedtotop$100billion. Someesti- tion duringtherun-upto World Cup wheninfrastructure Qatar canexpectexponentialgrowthinthemigrantpopula- more recentlyEast Africa. workers hailingmostlyfromsouth Asia, thePhilippinesor economies aredependentonthemanuallabourofmigrant don’t drivetaxis, waitontablesorinstallplumbing. Their Among theworld’s richestpeople, QatariandEmiraticitizens more striking: justsixpercentoftheworkforceisQatari. 200,000. Inthelabourmarket, thedemographicsareeven years to1.69million, butnativeQatarisnumberonlyaround population ofthegas-richstatehadmorethandoubledinsix A censuspublishedinQatarOctober2010showedthe percent ofthepopulationaremigrants. being thrownoutofwork. Across theUAE, however, 70 of infrastructureprojectsandledtothousandsmigrants the financialcrashof2009, whichfroze$582billionworth wasrockedby migrant populationdippedwhenthecountry 4.1 millionpeoplelivingintheUAEarecitizens. Dubai’s According tothegovernmentfigures, just825,000ofthe up theoverwhelmingmajorityofpopulation. In boththeUnited Arab EmiratesandQatar, migrantsmake Armani hotel, whereroomsstartat$650-a-night. rises 828metresabovedowntownDubaiandhousesthe tallest building. Completedin2010, thesteelandglassspire builder Besix, Arabtec builttheBurjKhalifa, theworld’s In partnershipwithKorea’s SamsungCorp. andBelgian take actionagainstthem.”(1) isdangerousand therefore weneedto ence inthecountry cannot keeppeopleherewhocreatedisorder. Their pres- Control, wasquotedtelling The Nationalnewspaper. “We g MatildeGattoni lll UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 4 VIEW lll harassment. physical abuse, and75saidtheyhadfacedsexualabuseor ing ofoverworkorunpaidwage, butalmost300reported Labour OfficeinDoha. Mostfledtheiremployerscomplain- shelter atasafe-houserunbythePhilippinesOverseas In 2010, over1,000distresseddomesticworkerssought abuse. homes wheretheyruntheriskofverbal, physicalorsexual in female migrantsintheGulfworkingasdomesticservants They maynotbevisible, buttherearetensofthousands of easingthepainseparationfromlovedones. India-made whiskyhiddenshowtheyhavefoundotherways of prayerandcricket, butscatteredpilesofemptybottles seen spendingtheirweeklyFridayrestdaywithamixture The tens-of-thousandsofmenlivinginSonapurcanbe Industrial Area cangoformonthswithoutseeingawoman. than threetoone. MigrantslivingandworkinginQatar’s gender balance. MenoutnumberwomeninDubaibymore The massiveinfluxoflabourintotheGulfhasskewed from herabusiveemployer. $2,500, oftenworking18hoursaday, beforesheranaway of Doha explainedshewashopingtogetanannualsalary to get$3,600year. A tearful Filipina domesticworkerin Fund.Monetary (2) A Nepaleseconstructionworkerislucky of $88,000accordingtodatalastyearfromtheInternational Qatar istherichestnationinworldwithincomeperhead and housingconditions. ensure thatworkersareprovidedwithdecentworking, wage companies liningupforlucrative World Cupcontractsto will beontheworldfootballbodyFIFA andthe Western plexes andtighterlawstopreventabuse. However, pressure the 2022constructionboom, includingmodelhousingcom- conditions forthemigrantworkersexpectedtoflockin The Qatarigovernmenthasannouncedplanstoimprove extravaganza. and anetworkofroadraillinksplannedforthefootball needed tobuildthe12stadiums, 70,000newhotelrooms report havebeenchangedtoprotecttheiridentity. inthis *The namesofseveralthepeopleinterviewed put thingsonpaper, butit’s noteasytoimplementthem.” ofLabourareminuteincomparison…it’sMinistry easyto labourers hereintheUAEishugeandresourcesof rights campaigner. “Ontheotherside, thenumberof positiveonthelabourissue,”very saysaEmiratihuman “Lately therehavebeensomenewregulationswhichare prevented hundredsofthousandslivinginsqualidconditions. hostels. The building ofbetterhousingforsomehasnot payment ofwagesbeingthebiggestcomplaintinmigrant move hasbeenwidelypraised, butithasnotstoppedlate payments whichcanbemonitoredbytheauthorities. The obliges companiestopayworkersthroughelectronicbank The UAE’s Wages ProtectionSystemphasedinsince2009 the blazingafternoonsunthroughthreemonthsofsummer. breaksfrom workers havebeengrantedextendedstatutory cruitment agencies, safetystandardshavebeenimprovedand Tighter ruleshavebeenbroughtintocontrolunscrupulousre- talk ofscrappingtheKafalasponsorshipsystemaltogether. workers moreflexibilitytochangejobs, althoughtheyreject for migrantlabour. Bothhaveintroducedlegislationtogrant Qatar andtheUAEhavetakenstepstoimproveconditions Faced withinternationalcriticism, thegovernmentsinboth given tothem.” abused. They don'thaveadayoffandtheirsalariesarenot Internationale. “Mostofthemhavebeenbeatenorverbally teer withtheFilipinohumanrightsorganizationMigrante ment fromtheiremployers,” says Yuri Cipriano, avolun - “Most ofthemrunawaybecausetheyexperiencemaltreat- seeking refugeatanotherPOLOshelterinearlyFebruary. There isasimilarsituationinDubai, where161womenwere weo/2010/02/weodata/weorept.aspx 2 – World EconomicOutlookDatabase, IMF, Oct. 2010. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/ thenational.ae/news/uae-news/70-workers-arrested-in-dubai-following-unrest 1- 70workersarrestedinDubaifollowingunrest, The National, 27January, 2011. www. g MatildeGattoni

UNION #21 May 2011 • 5 VIEW T pharaonic inscale Qatar’s ambitionsforthe2022 World Cupare in timeforthetournament. to cutcostsanddeadlines intherushtocompleteprojects recruitment boomorfaceexploitation fromcompanieseager agencies seekingtomakequickmoney fromthe World Cup There iswidespreadconcernthatmigrants willfallvictimto and strikerightstomigrants. laws whicheffectivelydenytradeunion, collective bargaining However, thereislittle signthattheyarewillingtoreverse ments orloan-sharkingbyrecruitmentagencies. pay- and tighterlawstopreventabusesuchaslatesalary for themigrantworkers, includingmodelhousingcomplexes The authoritieshaveannouncedplanstoimproveconditions reputation intherunupto World Cup. many migrantworkerscastingashadowoverthecountry’s anxious toavoidstoriesoftheabusescurrentlyenduredby Officials atthehighestlevelofQatarigovernmentare lucrative contracts. and internationalcompaniesarelininguptocompetefor Infrastructure investmentsareexpectedtotop$100billion, works tsunami”. dealing withlabourissuesinDoha. “It’s goingtobeacivil “There willbehugerecruitment,” saysaFilipinodiplomat World Cuppreparationsgetintofullswing. construction boomduetomoveupagearin2012asthe million newmigrantworkerstocompletethetask, withthe It’s willneedtodraftinupa estimatedthetinycountry residents anda$20billionupgradefortheroadnetwork. rail andsubwaynetworks, awholenewcitywith200,000 There willbedozensofgiantnewhotels, spankingnew air-conditioning toallowforthesearingsummerheat. welve stadiumswillbebuiltorrenovatedandfittedwith Sports Cityinthe capital containsthe50,000-seatKhalifa Qatar alreadyhasworld-classsports facilities. The Doha leaving fortheGulfnationinJanuary. (2) number onedestinationforNepalese workers, with11,000 Employment showingQatarhadreplaced Malaysiaasthe It quotedfiguresfromNepal’s DepartmentofForeign The KathmanduPostreportedinFebruary. “Labour demandupinQataramid World Cupconstruction,” The FinancialExpressnewspaperinMarch. (1) sociation ofInternationalRecruiting Agencies, toldDhaka’s Mohammed Abul Basher, presidentoftheBangladesh As- recruit thebulkofforeignworkersfromBangladesh,” to theshowpiecesoccerevent. We arehopeful Qatarwill construct thestadiumsandbuildotherinfrastructurerelated “They willrequireahugenumberofforeignworkersto remittances senthomebymigrants. region arealreadylookingforwardtoa World Cupwindfallin Poor nationswhosupplythebulkofworkersinGulf supply chainsareactuallyrespectfulofworkersrights.” multinationals providinggoodsforthe World Cupandtheir toseethatFIFAeverything livesuptoitsresponsibilities, that be onQatarandtheothernationsinthisregion. We willdo “The World Cupisatimewhentheeyes oftheworldwill International Trade UnionConfederation. unacceptable,” saysSharanBurrow, ofthe generalsecretary “Conditions formigrantworkersintheMiddleEastare decent working, wageandhousingconditions. tional companiestoensurethatworkersareprovidedwith football governingbodyFIFA, Qatariauthoritiesandinterna- In therunupto World Cup, pressurewillmountonworld gP. Ames lll UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 6 VIEW A numberofmajorinternationalcompaniesarealready ahead of2022. compared withthemajoroverhaulplannedforstadium However, thecurrentworkwillpaleintoinsignificance centre. 300 meterhigh Aspire Tower whichloomsoverthesports fixing securitybarriers;Indiansworkingonrenovationofthe ing uprollsofartificialturforremovingfencing;Ghanaians inthedaysafter Asian Cupfinal: Nepalesepeel- Dozens ofmigrantsinblueoverallswereworkingonthe the 2011 Asian CupinJanuary. zone playedhosttothe2006 Asian Gamesandthefinalof Dome, oneoftheworld’s largestindoorsportsarenas. The stadium, anOlympic-sizedswimmingcentreandthe Aspire lll recover themoneytheypaythem, whichisnotacceptable. are charging. Sometimes, theworkersneedtwoyearsto people, withthesedoublecontracts, withthefeesthey punish them. They areworkinghandintocheatthe recruitment agencies. The governmenthastomonitorand Recruitment isaproblem. We cannotalwaysbelievethe “Most ofthemenareinconstructionandservices. easier tocontrolit. allow themtogoagainbecausetheythinkthatwillmakeit rules bygoingthroughIndia. The governmentisaboutto ment says ‘no,’ butthereareafewwhogetaroundthe fewfemalesbecausethegovern- “Officially therearevery Across theMiddleEastthereare1.3millionNepali. salaries. We estimatethereare350,000NepaliinQatar. blems too, especiallynon-paymentandunderpaymentof “In theMiddleEasttherearemanyprospects, butpro- around theworld branch ofanorganization that promotestheinterests ofNepalesemigrants Raju isaNepalesebusinessmaninQatar. Healsoworks forthelocal times, Ican’tpaymyworkersontimeevenifwishto.” nies aregood, buttheycan’tpaytheirworkers. Some- don’t getpayments, soit’s aviciouscircle. Somecompa- invoice, soinvestorshaveproblemstoo. Sometimeswe bad. Ittakes60or90daystogetpaymentsafteryou “Part oftheproblemisthatpaymentsystemvery life inthiscountry. have tocareaboutthesepeoplewhoaregoinga tochangeovernight,cannot expecteverything butthey applied. Iftheyimplementthelegalsystemit’s OK. We workers. The labour lawisgood, butithastobeproperly kers. We areexpectingbetterpayandconditionsforthe in infrastructuredevelopmentbringingmanymorewor the country. For the World Cupweareexpectingaboom beings. These workers arethepeoplewhobuilding companies thatarenottreatingtheworkersashuman “Many Nepalisarehappyhere, buttherearesome asked abouthowtheyplantoensureadecentdealfor The internationalorganizationswereshortondetailwhen at thetime. (3) Mohamed alSayed, managingdirectorofQatarHolding, said ture ofQataraheadthe World Cupin2022,” Ahmad key tradingpartnersforthedevelopmentofinfrastruc- “This transactioncementsourrelationshipwithoneofthe December aspartothecountry’s 2022preparations. 9.1 percentstakeinGermany’s largestbuilderHochtiefin Saudi Arabia; QatarHoldingpaidalmost$530millionfora which willincludehigh-speedtrainlinkstoBahrainand on thecreationofDoha’s newmetroandrailwaynetwork, to wincontractsbuildthem;DeutscheBahnisworking up plansforsomeoftheQataristadiumsandishoping tects Albert SpeerandPartnerplayedakeyroleindrawing involved inprojectsaheadofthe World Cup. Germanarchi- g EduardoDiaz - UNION #21 May 2011 • 7 VIEW migrant workers. Qatar wherethelabourlaweffectivelydeniessuchrightsto tion andtherighttocollectivebargaining, areappliedin such standards, whichincludethefreedomofassocia- Labour Organizationstandards. Itisunclear, however, how in QatarandstresseditslongcommitmenttoInternational In astatement, Hochtiefpointedtoitsgoodsafetyrecord national lawsmustberespected.” oftheLOCand that,under thesupervision inthisregard, the the constructionofstadiaremainswithhostcountry “It isimportanttonote, however, thattheresponsibilityfor onitscommitment toworkersrights.in responsetoaquery impacts oftheFIFA World Cup,” theworldfootballbodysaid portunities toincreasethepositiveandreducenegative ing Committee(LOC)inthecomingyearstoaddressop- “FIFA willworkhandinwiththeQatariLocalOrganis- workers onthe World Cupprojects. “Previously theyused tohitalso, buttheydon'tdothat ing mefortheirownmistakes, threatening tohitme. They arealwaysshouting, tellingmeIam careless, blam- “The managersarePalestinian, thereare three ofthem. but theywillnotallowmetogoback afteronlyoneyear. this company, never. Iwasplanning togoafteroneyear, make surepeopledon’trunaway. Iwillnotcome backto November, theyalways holdontoonemonth’s to salary guy. Icanofferyouanything. of They holdontothesalary “Today wegotoursalary, 1,200riyals($330). I'marich Doha’s constructionsector migrants asdriversfortrucks, earthmovers andothervehiclesusedby Pradeep fromNepalworks foratransport companywhich employs idea, becauseyounever know whatmighthappenincourt.” that’s agoodwaytogethomequick, butit’s notagood were afraidtheywouldgetintrouble forstartingit. Maybe bad worker. They didn’tsayhe’dhitthembecausethey home, theygavehimcancellationpapers, saidhe wasa dare usetheirhandsanymore. The Nepaleseguy got sent they arereallybad.’Sostillthreaten, buttheydon’t push theseNepaleseguysaround, theymaybesmall, but up prettybad. Sothisonetoldtheothers, to ‘don’t try anymore becauseoneguyhitback. Hebeatoneofthem kicks-off-qatar-cup-preparations ) 3 – The National, 7December2010(www.thenational.ae/business/economy/hochtief-deal- html) post/2011/02/22/money/labour-demand-up-in-qatar-amid-world-cup-construction/218730. 2 – The KathmanduPost, 2011(www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu- 22February id=129633&date=2011-03-18 ) 1 – The FinancialExpress, 18March, 2011(www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_ deadline forthisreport. Bahn didnotreplytorepeatedquestionsintimeforthe to theQatari World Cuporganizingcommittee. Deutsche authorized todiscussworkersrightsandreferredquestions The architects Albert SpeerandPartnerssaidtheywerenot employees inQatarandtherestofworld.” of communications. “Asyoucansee, wecareaboutour est standardinQatar,” saidBerndPütter, Hochtief’s head site clinicsthathave, asnotedbyQatarauthorities, thehigh- on healthandsafetytraining. Furthermorewehaveinstalled Time Accident’ (and)morethan200,000manhoursspent “We canlookbackon24millionmanhourswithout ‘Lost g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 8 VIEW squalid slums Amid Gulfriches migrantsforced toLivein A this?” bour. “We arehuman beings. Howcantheymakeuslivelike “We aresuffering,” interjectsRagiva, hisSriLankanneigh- three orfourhoursaday. usually onlyturnonthegeneratorand thewatersupplyfor In asoft, patientvoicePradeepexplainsthat hisemployers There’s agrimysink, butnorunningwaterandelectricity. Industrial Area.ling dust fromtheneighbouringcementplantinDoha’s spraw- blockchokedwith migrants whosharethisgrimtwo-story asakitchenforthetwodozenSouth newspaper serve Asian and acoupleofwoodenboxescoveredwithgrease-stained Contained withinbareconcretewalls, ablackenedgasring reveal hisbleaksurroundings. transport worker’s handthrowsoutapalecircleoflightto thumb-sized whitecandleinthepalmofaNepalese The Industrial Area liesabout 10kilometresfromthecentre dumbbells. washing clothesorworkingoutwith somehome-made out Indianpopasthemenspendtheir eveningresting, Here atleasttheyhaveelectricity, soasoundsystembooms they havetobuyfoodfromacaféat thenearbymarket. ing inthekitchennextdoorsinceso manyfellsick. Instead There’s onefetidbathroom, butthemenhavestopped cook- air-conditioning andnoeye-protectionfor12hoursaday. back wallofthevehiclerepairshopwheretheyworkwithno lean-tobuiltalongthe to eachtinyroominasingle-story A fewblocksaway, 35SriLankanwelderslive packed four ofaroomtothemselves.luxury of itsdriverselsewhere, sothosewhoremainhavethe been explainedtothem, thecompanyrecentlymovedmost In someways, theyarelucky. Forreasonsthathavenot g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 9 VIEW tors around the three-story blockheshareswith156other tors aroundthethree-story Egyptian constructionworker Tarik washappytoshowvisi- thorized visitors. Othersaremoreopen. OnhisFridayoff, surrounded bywallsandtightsecuritytopreventunau- Compounds ownedbysomeofthelargercorporationsare a dismalplacetolive. age nolongerrunsinthestreets. Sonapur, however, remains worst campswerecloseddown, roadswerepavedandsew- report triggeredawaveofnegativepress(1). Someofthe up Sonapurafteradamning2006HumanRights Watch barracks. The Dubaiauthoritieshavemadeanefforttoclear accommodation unitsthatresembleprisonblocksormilitary camps,” streetuponofcheaplymade, company-run The placeismadeupofwhattheinhabitantscall“labour ironic: itmeans“cityofgold” inHindi. between awastedumpandcemetery, andthenameis migrant labourersinatownshipknownasSonapur. Itlies Dubai’s versionoftheIndustrial Areas housesover150,000 'this isDoha?' Well, yesitis." cars hereformaintenanceandtheylookaroundthink: can beinDohaforyearsandthentheyhavetobringtheir they realisethatthisareaexists,” Espinalexplains. “They "When peoplehavesomeproblemswiththeircars, then well awayfromDoha’s wealthyinhabitants. roughly thesizeof1,500footballpitches, butiskepthidden the Industrial Area. The suburbishuge, coveringanarea hostels, factories, warehousesandvehiclerepairshopsof low-income workersliveamongthesprawlingtangleof runs educationclassesformigrants, saysover200,000 Giovanni Espinal, an American universityprofessorwho around thesurreal, Venetian-themed Villaggio shoppingmall. shoppers palm-lined seafrontorthegondolascarrying of Doha, butitfeelsaworldawayfromthecity’s breezy, salary thinghasn'tbeen settled.salary They don'tknowifthey have itasbadmaybethreeorfour yearsago, butthe “The authoritieshavemadeimprovements. Workers don't Lankans, afewFilipinos. “Eighty percentareNepalese. We alsohaveEgyptians, Sri for them. Nobodyhadtaughtthemtopack. expensive their familiesandwhichmusthavebeenvery of creamsandlotionswhichthey’dboughttotakeback the signsinEnglishand Arabic, andtheylostthesebottles when Isawguysattheairport;theydidnotunderstand “We’ve hadaround300students. Iwasinspiredtodothis get rippedoff, howtotravel. some timewiththem. The lastoneisshopping, hownotto from theNationalHumanRightsCommitteetospend when theyhaveproblems. We sometimesget somebody “The thirdoneisaboutjobs, theirrights, whotocontact sick, getssick. everybody They liveinaroomwithtenpeople, soifonepersongets teach abouthealth, hydration, hownottospreaddiseases. ed, howtocontactembassies. OnthesecondFriday, we “We teachonQatarilaw: whathappens iftheygetarrest- run-down Industrial Area run-down running aneducationprogrammeformigrantworkers livinginDoha’s University professorGiovanni Espinalspendsmuch ofhisspare time building thesemicro communities.” goodatfindingpeoplefromtheirvillagesand are very even seeawoman. Lonelinessisabigproblem, but they months withoutleavingtheIndustrial Area, sothey won’t “There arepsychologicalpressures. They canbehere six something differentin Arabic. contract inNepal, andthentheycomeheresign modation, sohegets1,200riyals($330). They signthe here, and theydeductthepriceoffoodandaccom- and thepapersaysfreefoodeverything. He comes Nepal, and hesignsapaperthatsays2,000riyals($550), “Contract substitutionisabigproblem. The guyisin changes, Ithinkthatthequalityoflifewillchangealot. stress forthem, andthat'sgottobechanged. Oncethat only waitingfor800riyals($220). That causestonsof thinking ‘am Igoingtogetpaidornot?’ And theyare “It ishorrible. Icannotimagine, endofthemonth every salaries ontime, whocares? They comeheretowork. departments, thebestservices, butiftheydon'tget their them beautifulquarters, wecanhavethebestsocial are goingtogetpaidontime. Itellyou, theycanbuild Montana rucksacksareamongthemorepopulargifts. Hun- back totheirloved-ones–plasticdinosaursandHannah Sonapur’s littleshopsinanticipationof thelong-awaitedtrip and colourfullungiclothsforFridayprayers. Othersbrowse out oftheirsqualiddormitoriesinimmaculatewhiteshirts one dayaweektheygetoffwork. Muslimworkersflock efforts tobringasenseofnormalitytheirlivesonthe Given theharshconditions, themigrantsmakeremarkable ing “Welcome allPeople.” small windows. Workers livingtherehaveputupasignsay- light filteringthroughyellowingnewspaperscoveringthe living ineachofthe3xmeterroomswithonlynatural mattresses onthecementfloors. Therearesixormoremen inhabitants havebeds, whileotherssleeponmatsorstained the brokentoiletsinlatrineblock. The morefortunate huts,single-story visitorsaregreetedbyanevil-smellfrom In onecomplexmadeupof80roomsinfourback-to-back, “We areallfriendsandwecooperatetogether.” Indian stateofKeralawhohaslivedinDubaisince2004. tures here,” saysRama, abuildingworkerfromthesouthern “There isnoproblemhavinglabourersfromsomanycul- space. Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Syrians–livinginthisrestricted kitchen reflectsthemixofnationalities–Indians, Egyptians, rooms andtheblendofaromaswaftingfromcommunal The cacophonyof Arab andIndianmusicblaringformthe plastic bagsnailedtothewall. There isnoprivatespace. door, andtheworkers’fewpersonalbelongingsarekeptin much allthespace. There’s aportabletelevisionnexttothe In Tarik’s roomthethreenarrowbunkbedstakeuppretty soccer shirtshungouttodry. courtyard that’s drapedwithacolourfularrayofsarongsand migrants. They livepackedsix-to-a-roomaroundacentral lll UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 10 VIEW of orangeormangojuicewithcleaningfluidsandafter to comeby, desperateworkersconcocthazardousmixtures In Qatar, wherealcoholrulesarestricterandwhiskeyharder made whiskey. port them,” heexplains, takinganothersipoftheBangalore- is sellingtheminthemarket. That’s allshecandotosup- problem. Mymotherisgrowingvegetablesinthegardenand tough onmyfamily. We can’tpayfortheirstudies. It’s abig “He givesusalivingallowance, butnotourfullsalary. That’s to paypromisedwages. problem isnotthedismalhousing, buthisemployer’s refusal For Joeyandforsomanyoftheothermigrants, themain there isnomoreworkandwecan’taffordtolive,” hesays. his wifeandfourchildrenbackhome. “InthePhilippines He putsupitwithbecausehehastosendmoneyback again tomorrow.” we arenotworkingsleepinguntilgetupforwork “Apart fromthisallwecandoisworkandeatsleep. If Joey pointingtohisbottleofMcDowell’s No. 1whiskey. “This isthebestthingwehave,” saysFilipinotruckdriver tions onalcoholsales. that iswidelyavailableinSonapurdespiteDubai’s restric- under: apileofdozensdiscardedbottlesIndianliquor shift sportsfield, thereisevidenceofthestrainmenare However, behindamoundofearthontheedgemake- join inabafflingseriesofoverlappingcricketmatches. dreds ofSouth Asians headtoapatchofsandywasteland shave. Fightsandillnessarecommon. lll - three billionQatariRiyals($800million). The project, located has beenannouncedtohouse53,000workersatacostof improvements tomigranthousing. A newLabourers’City international mediascrutiny, theauthoritiessaytherewillbe sive influxofnewworkersandplaceQatarunderintense With the2022 World Cupexpectedtobring inamas- residents, justinchesfromtheshoesthey’dleftoutside.”(2) doorsteps ofhundreds black waterslappedatthevery and formedanalgae-fringedpodinthecampcourtyard. The “Fetid sewageboiledupfromanoverflowingseptictank describes a2008visittoanETA ASCON campinSonapur. of the World’s FastestCity,” American journalistJimKrane All thisisasignofprogress. Inhisbook“Dubai:Story The insurance toitsemployees. outlines detailsofthecompany’s fundtoprovidemedical a noticepinnedtothewallincommonspacedownstairs front. Migrantslivingheresaywagesarepaidontime, and for thementopamperpetrabbitsinshadyyardout cleaning detailkeepstheblockinorder. There’s evenspace follow newsandentertainmentfromKathmandu. A four-man and satellite TV isbeamedinsotheNepaleseresidentscan Although it’s stillfourtoaroom, there’s ampleclosetspace, Star conglomerate. about thehousingprovidedbyDubai-basedETA ASCON in histidy, white-washedroomsayshehasnocomplaints life inDoha’s Industrial Area, aNepaleseworkermakingtea to thebustling Al Attiya market, whichisthecentreofsocial to protecttheirreputationsbyimprovingconditions. Close commodation whilebiggerfirmswithinternationaltiesseek that smallercompaniesoftenprovidethemostdegradedac- There issomerelativelygoodlodging. Migrantscomplain g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 11 VIEW With foreignersoutnumbering localsthreetoone, theau- the moreaffluent localandprofessionalexpatpopulations. low-income migrantsisolatedintownships wellapartfrom carried out, bothQatarandtheUAEstillwant tokeepthe Even iftheplansforimprovedaccommodation areproperly the migrants. the places,” complainsEspinal, theeducatorworkingwith sixmonthssotheycan’tgettovisitall so theygoinevery “There arelikefiveinspectorsforthewholeIndustrial Area, extent towhichtherulesareflouted. accommodation blocksintheIndustrial Area torealisethe and wastedisposal. (3)Ittakesjustacoupleofhoursvisiting regulations onelectricitysupply, air-conditioning, cleaning eightworkers,should beatoiletforevery and thereare than 100inhabitantsshouldhaveafull-timenurse. There mum offoursquaremetresspaceeach. Buildingswithmore guidelines. InQatar, workersaresupposedtohaveamini- already haveaplethoraofrulesthatlaydownstricthousing how suchplanswillbeappliedinpractice. The Gulfstates Despite thehigh-levelsupport, therearedoubtsabout the jobmarketwhentheyreturntotheirhomeland. support andskillstraining, sotheyarebetterequippedfor compound andon-sitecounsellorstoprovidepsychological style housingcomplexeswithasocialdepartmentineach to betakingapersonalinterestinproposalsbuildnew- The Emir’s influentialwifeShiekhaMoza bintNasserissaid sports fields, mosquesandlandscapedgardens. in thecurrentIndustrial Area, isdesignedtohavecinemas, of theemirate’s property bubblein2008gavethedistrict Dubai’s developmentsuntil thebursting pharaonicluxury Satwa wasduetobebulldozedmake wayforanotherof grocers, IndianelectronicstoresorIranian restaurants. cial tanglethat’s filledwiththeneon-litfacadesofPakistani most colourfulandmulticulturalneighbourhoods, acommer Many labourershavefoundhomes inSatwa, oneofDubai’s rounding theyachtsandspeedboatstheyworktorepair. squeezed intoajumbleofflimsyprefabricatedcubessur Versace resort, 60Bangladeshiweldersandcarpentersare Dubai CreekfromtheconstructionsiteofopulentPalazzo around Dubai. Inajunk-strewnboatyardacrossthenarrow There arepocketsoftheminmakeshiftaccommodation Some migrantsdogettoliveoutsidethelabourcamps. day?” this every thing different. Canyouimagineforfourmonthsjustseeing stores. At leastforonenighttheycoulddreamaboutsome- Area,” herecalls. “There theysawbeautifulgirls, fabulous “Guys arehereformonthswithoutleavingtheIndustrial island thatbillsitselfasthe Arabian Riviera. boutiquesandglamorousrestaurantsonanartificial luxury Doha’s showcase, multibillion-dollarresortpackedwith past securityguardstogivethemaglimpseof The Pearl, Espinal tellshowheoncesmuggledfourNepalesemigrants malls, waterfrontdevelopments. picturesquesouksorluxury of poor“bachelors”frompouringintotheposhshopping thorities aredeterminedtokeepthehundredsofthousands g MatildeGattoni lll - - UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 12 VIEW fraud to every worker.fraud toevery The problemsaregettingworse.” that ispromised. InDubainowthecompaniesaregiving for thehome, forthefood, andwearenotgettingthemoney ficult becausewehavetolivehere. We needtopaytherent or threemonthslate,” Shahriarsays. dif- “It makesitvery month,“They don’tgetpaidevery thepaymentcomestwo too often, wagesarepaidlate. rooms. Eventhen, workersarefallingintodebtbecause, all spread thecostsbycrammingupto12peopleinto room for2,500UAEdirham($680amonth). Migrants Shahriar, aBangladeshidriversays, thelandlordrentseach futuristic architectureofDubaiFinancialDistrict. dential streetsbetweentheshopsof Al Satwaroadandthe countless timesaroundthedenselypackedgridofresi- place isanobviousfiretrap, andthesceneisrepeated while cleanwashinghangsdownfromoverheadlines. The threadbare beddingarescatteredonacurlinglinofloor, of gas-poweredhotplates. Pilesofdustyblueoverallsand cookedoveronavariety curry with aromasofthewatery makeshift kitchenwherethesmellofstalesweatmingles house. Inone, dozensofBangladeshismillaroundina It’s easytofind60menjammedtenaroominsingle conditions canbeevenworsethaninthecompanydorms. fabric ofthecity, theunregulatednatureofhousingmeans However, althoughthemenherearemoreintegratedinto behind bymiddle-classfamilies. a reprieve. Migrantworkershavemovedintothevillasleft lll 3- Workers RightsBook, Hala Al Ali, NationalHumanRightsCommittee, Qatar 2- Dubai, ofthe The Story World’s FastestCity, Atlantic Books, p201. org/en/reports/2006/11/11/building-towers-cheating-workers. 1 –Building Towers, Cheating Workers, HumanRights Watch, 11November, 2006. www.hrw. g MatildeGattoni g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 13 VIEW S domestic workers Law offerslittleprotectionforabused sponsor,” says aFilipinodiplomatwhoworksclosely onla- “If theyaregivendaysoff, it’s upto thediscretionoftheir than migrantworkersinconstruction orothersectors. from thelabourlaws, sothemaidshaveeven lessprotection In bothcountries, domesticworkisspecifically excluded Qatar, accordingtoofficialdatafrom2009. in There were48,000foreignfemales indomesticservice estimates thereare80,000Filipinadomesticworkersalone. the FilipinohumanrightsorganizationMigranteInternational less than1,000dirham($270)amonth. Across theUAE, domestic workersintheemirate, 34,000ofthemearning Government statisticsinDubaisaythereare52,000female the UAEisfacing.” rights campaigner “This isoneofthebiggestproblemsthat working 24/7. They arenotmachines,” saysEmiratihuman poor guyswouldliketohavetheirownlives. They cannotbe they wantthemanddon'tgivebreakhours. These “They don'tgivethemholidays, theykeepworkinganytime for monthswithoutreceivingwages. virtual prisonersintheiremployers’homesandfrequentlygo harassment. They aredeprivedoffoodandsleep, keptas ed torelentlesspsychologicalpressure, beatingsorsexual face adailygrindofinhumanworkhours. Somearesubject- Behind suchextremecases, countlessthousandsofwomen her rapebyaQatariboss. newborn soninanairliner’s trashbinto covertheshameof rooms; theFilipinamaidwhoconfessedshe’ddumpedher hotel ing forkeeping24womenlockedawayintheirluxury with sequestration, inhumantreatmentandhumantraffick- into herbody;theEmiratiprincesseschargedinBelgium woman whoaccusedherSaudibossofhammering24nails frequently hitsheadlinesaroundtheworld: theSriLankan The sufferingofdomesticworkersintheMiddleEastalltoo that inanegativeway. That iswhyIranawayhere.” that shewasgoingtocomeandkillme. Iwasthinkingabout when Iturnedbacksheslappedme…wassoscaredthat says ifyoudon'twanttostopyourmouth, Iwillslapyouand “She comebackwithhershoes, thepointedonesandshe her Libyanemployerbeatwithastiletto-heeledshoe. old SorayafledinearlyFebruary. Thefinalstrawcamewhen including havingherhandsshovedintoahotoven, 31-year- subjected toconstantverbalandoccasionalphysicalabuse, After ayearofworkingexhaustivehours, withnodayoffand hit me…ifIhaveamistake, shewillhitmejustlikethat.” it fast,’ butIamnotamachine. And thensometimesshewill because shewasalwaysstaying ‘do this, dothat, andmake “I amnotreallyusedtoworklikethat, likeamachine, the safetyofashelterrunbyPhilippinesEmbassy. angry. Shewasalwaysshoutingatme,” saysSorayafrom “From thefirsttimeIcametohouse, shewasalways in povertybackhome. she’d hopedtoearnsomemoneyhelpherfamilytrapped that forcedhertorunawayfromthehouseinQatarwhere smile quicklygiveswaytotearsassherecallstheabuse anao islandinthesouthernPhilippines. Buthereasy oraya isacheerful, articulateyoungmotherfromMind- tached tothePhilippines LabourOfficeinDohahad around women inthefirstweekofFebruary, whileasmaller unitat- housemaids arepacked. The oneinDubaiheldover 150 Safe housessetupbyPhilippinesembassies forrunaway wage ofaroundjust$200fortheir maids intheUAE. employers. IndonesiaandBangladeshrequire aminimum increasingly popularhuntinggroundsforMiddleEastern sia, Ethiopia andSriLankaareamongnationsbecoming Recruitment agenciescanalsolookelsewhere. Indone- the restrictionsinordertopursuetheirdreamofGulfriches. at homecollaboratewithrecruitmentagentstogetaround quently flouted. Women desperatetoescapefrom poverty Filipino diplomats, however, admitthattherulesarefre- the migrants. recruitment agenciesfromdemandingplacementfees orientation classesondepartingworkersandbanning minimum wageof$400amonth, imposingmandatory from18to25,that theycanleavethecountry settinga conditions foroverseasdomesticworkers, raisingtheage The Philippinesauthoritieshavetakenactiontoimprove conditions andadecentwage. employers willhavetoprovideguaranteesofsecurity, work government reversedthedecisioninDecembersaying after amaidcommittedsuicideinKuwait1998, butthe Nepal banneditswomenfromdomesticworkintheGulf the victims. and housemaidsconstructionworkersmadeupmostof the Dubaipolicerevealstherewere113suicidesin2009, ing emirateofRas Al Khaimah. The mostrecentdatafrom was hospitalizedaftertakinganoverdoseintheneighbour her ownlife;threeweekslateran23-year-old Indonesian area afterwarningherIndianemployersthatshewouldtake apartmentinDubai’s16th story plushJumeirahLake Towers Bangladeshi maidagedjust17plungedtoherdeathfroma Suicide attemptsaredisturbinglycommon. InFebruary, a In somecasesthepressureonwomengetstoomuch. to findtheycannotaffordpaytheirwages. mid-income expatsdosoonly to enterthecountry. Many ($1,600) cansponsoramaid least 6,000dirhamamonth head ofhouseholdearningat Under Dubailaw, anymarried at thehandsofexpatbosses. Soraya, saytheirabusewas household workers, like who mistreatmaids: many However, itisnotonlylocals in themid-20thcentury. abolished inDubaiandQatar than slavery, whichwasonly appears tobelittlebetter some householdworkers The treatmentmetedoutto of casesmistreatment.” employers, butwehavealot bour issues. “There aregood

g Reuters lll - UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 14 VIEW have to wait several weeks before they can leave the country have towaitseveral weeksbeforetheycanleavethe country andfacedeportation.country Eventhen, thewomenoften ers, foreignworkerscannotlookforanew jobintheirhost Unless theygetareleasepaperfrom theirformeremploy- marriage –anoffenceinQatar. includes womenfacingallegations of havingaffairsout bytheiremployers,of sorcery or “love-related cases” which cases includeshousemaidswhofledafterbeingaccused attempted rape. marked A category “others” comprising136 59 involvingsexualabuseorharassment, and16ofrapeor salaries, buttherewere291casesallegingphysicalabuse, assistance. Mostwereforoverwork, lackoffoodorunpaid shows that1,270distressedhouseholdworkerssoughtits Data compiledbytheLabourOfficeovercourseof2010 30, including Soraya. lll was comingoutlikeafaucet. threw theplateandithitmeonforehead, sotheblood “After thatwhenIbenddowntopickupthetray, she words, the Arabic words. and threwthefoodonfloorcalledmeallbad enough spacetoputthatonthetable, soshegotangry has tobebigger. SoItakethebiggesttray, butthereisnot food tothelargertrayandItakeithershesay her, shesaidnotthattray, abiggerone. SoItransferthe “She toldmeshewantedmushroomsoup. When Iserved my foreheadwithaplate. problem cameonDecember17whenmymadamhit tried mybesttofulfilresponsibilitiesasaservant. The “I'm surprisedatthewaytheytreatedmethere. Ijust Philippines. all theneedsbecauseit’s expensiverightnowinthe very better thatwearebothworkingbecausecan'tmeet children. MyhusbandisworkinginthePhilippines, butit’s especially foodshelterandeducation. Ihavethree “I decidedtoworkinQatarsupportmyfamily’s needs, Embassy inDoha employer. Shefoundshelterinasafe-houserunby thePhilippines Qatari family, butfledinDecemberafteranassault by herfemale Estrela, 39, 2010towork fora isaFilipinamaid.ShearrivedinFebruary posed toget$200dollar, buttheywerenotgivingit.” and onlysendsthemoneyshewantstosend. Iwassup- my salary. When Isaywantallmysalary, shesays ‘no’ money forthefamily, shecontrolleditandIcannothandle timewhenIwantmysalary,“Every ifIwanttosend they arecallingbybuzzerupanddown, upanddown. working. To eat, youhavejustaminuteonly. All thetime have dayoff. There wasnorest, onlyworking, working, and Ifinishat12midnight. Ireallymissedsleep. We don't want onehourformyself. Then atfiveo'clockI'mstarting “My daywaslikethis. Iwakeupatfouro'clock, becauseI in anothercountry. inside thehouse, becausehehasabusinessandisoften man heisreallygoodbutdoesnotknowwhathappens morning untilnight, shoutinglikethis. Myemployer, the finish mycontract, twoyears, eventhoughit’s traumatic, shewasshouting,“Everyday butI'mthinkingmaybeI’ll I thoughtmaybeit'sjustthisonetime. first time. Beforeshehitmeonthearms, itleftmarks, but “I askmyself, ‘what kindofmadamisthis?’Itwasnotthe abusive employer. Goingbackhomewithout thatmoney ($200) forjustfour ofthe12monthssheworkedfor her of800Qataririyals Soraya saysshewaspaidhersalary to reclaimtheirmoneythoughthecourts. willing orabletogothroughthelengthy proceduresneeded back unpaidwagesfromtheiremployers, but theyarerarely toclaw The runawaysusetheirtimewaiting toleavetrying Gulf andotheradministrativecosts. others afterthesponsorshaveinvestedintheirtravelto needed toprevent “absconding” maidsfromworkingfor ers insistthatrestrictionsonthewomen’s movementsare clearance proceduresforthosewaitingtoleave, butemploy- Filipino diplomatssaylocalauthoritiesarespeedingup are oftenheldillegallybytheiremployers. while theysecureexitvisasandretrievepassports, which g EduardoDiaz UNION #21 May 2011 • 15 VIEW and sistersalsomychildren. Ineedtogivefinancial for thefoodandmychildrenalso. We aresixbrothers and hecannotworkeveryday, soonlymeandmymumwork littlestoreforsellingvegetables.only avery Myfatherissick sobs. “My mum, sheisonlyaworkerinmarket. We have my family, theyneedsupportfromme,” sheexplainsthrough “I decidedtoworkinQatarbecauseIamasinglemumand provide for. would placeanintolerableburdenonthefamilysheleftto New ITUC “The mostcommonproblemiscontractsubstitution. They was stuckinthemorgueforalmostfourmonths. dled, inRasal-KhaimahthenorthernpartofUAE, 12,send herhomeonFebruary butthelastdeathwehan- least amonthbeforeyouarerepatriated. We arehopingto “Another problemhereisthatwhenyoudie, itwilltakeat Mindanao, 16th. anddiedonJanuary excess time. HernamewasJennyRose, shewasfrom Also, andwasmadetowork shewasnotgivenhersalary cally andverbally, beatenbythewifeandhusband. official job)becauseshewasmistreated, abusedphysi- “She wasjust27yearsold. Shehadrunaway(fromher time. under Dubailaw, aboutthatall the andshewasworrying for alongtimeandshehadpart-timejob. That isillegal and thereasonbehindthatisbecauseshewasarunaway Philippines migrants. Shediedbecauseofaheartattack, we gavethemthedeathcertificateofoneourfellow “We camefromthePhilippinesLabourOfficebecause These arecommonproblems. ant whowasmaltreated, abusedandnotgivenhersalary. get atickethomeforoneofthevictims,- adomesticserv women domesticworkers. Justyesterdaywewerehelping Filipinos. Mostoftheproblemswedealwithinvolve “Here intheUAEweestimatetherearearound500,000 around theworld International, which strives toprotecttherightsofFilipinosworking Philippines. InDubaifor15years, herunsthelocalbranch ofMigrante Nhel Moronaoncefacedbulletsmarching forpeoplepower inthe Weblink tothe longversion(10’), inEnglish:http://www.ituc-csi.org/hidden-faces-of-the-gulf-miracle.html Spanish: http://www.ituc-csi.org/el-precio-oculto-del-milagro-del.html French: http://www.ituc-csi.org/golfe-la-face-honteuse-du-miracle.html Arabic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_iSpJLFcFw English: http://www.ituc-csi.org/hidden-faces-of-the-gulf-miracle,9131.html Weblink totheshortversion(3’), in documentary Video documentary (Reportage: Paul Ames, Cinematography: Eduardo Diaz) pregnant bythemanofhouse.” get jail. There are lotsofstories, sometimestheyget marriage, it'sillegal, sothetendencyisthatladywill relationship. And hereifyouhavearelationshipoutside sometimes saysthatsheishisgirlfriendandtheyhavea system, theytwisttheirstory, andthentheperpetrator “In casesofrapeandsexualabuses, iftheygotothelegal the migrant. commonhere. That isvery ing. They putweight ontheargumentofemployer, not into thereasonwhythismigrantjumpedfrombuild- police immediatelybelievetheemployerwithoutdigging a complaintagainstherthatshestolesomething, andthe She isinthehospital. Then theemployercameandmade “There wasonewhojumpedfromabuildingtorunaway. their salaries. the expensesincurredbyemployerarededucedfrom workers cominghere, butwhentheFilipinoscomehere, “It istheburdenofemployertocoverexpenses working 12hoursinadaywiththesamesalary. is ninehoursonly, but99percentofdomesticworkersare time off. sector The maximumworkingtimefortheservice tract theywillchangetheremuneration, thebenefits, the ofLabour,be registeredintheMinistry andinthatcon- here, theemployergivesthemanothercontractthatwill sign acontractinthePhilippinesandthenaftertheyget the luckyone.” also manyFilipinashereworkingnicely, somaybeI'mnot “It's notamistaketocomehereinQatar, becausethereare with anotherfamilyinQatar. herluck back-wages orsignreleasepaperssoshecouldtry who hadalwaystreatedherwell, wouldpaytheeight-month She washopingagainsthopethatheremployer’s husband, support forthemwhiletheygrowup.” UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 16 VIEW M wages, meaningthatthe employerhascommittedaviola- was abreachofcontract oremployeesarenotgetting their based newspaper The NationalinJanuary. “But ifthere told attheUAELabourMinistry undersecretary Abu Dhabi- still needtorespecttheircontracts,” HumaidalSuwaidi, “Employees cannotjustleavewhenever theywantto, they refused toallowthemswitchjobs aftertwoyears. foratleastsixmonthsiftheiremployer leave thecountry two years. The previoussystemmeantthatworkershadto Skilled workersandprofessionalsdonotneedtowaitthe they willstillneedauthorizationfromtheLabourMinistry. Objection Certificatefromtheirpreviousemployer. However, two-year contracttochangejobswithouttheneedforaNo- system thatallowsunskilledworkerswhohavecompleteda The UAEthisyearintroducedchangestoitssponsorship looking atreplacingthesponsorshipsystem. mightconsiderabolishingthekafala,country and Kuwaitis Nevertheless, Qatar’s primeministersaidinNovember the neighbours. in 2009toscrapit, drawingcriticismfromsomeofits have takenstepstoendthekafalasystem. Bahraindecided In thefaceofsuchinternationalcriticism, someGulfnations Report onQatar. (2) the USStateDepartmentdeclaredinits2009HumanRights lead toforcedlabouractivitiesandslave-likeconditions,” “Provisions ofthesponsorshiplawcreateconditionsthatcan regional reportreleasedinJanuary, 2011. (1) trafficking,” the InternationalLabourOrganizationsaidina distortions tothemarketandcanleadforcedlabour “The ‘free visa’orkafala(sponsorship)systemcauses basic rightsthatfrequentlyexposesmigrantstofurtherabuse. international condemnationasaninfringementoftheworkers’ However, thesponsorshipsystemhasearnedwidespread employer forresidencyrights. the workforceismadeupofforeignerswhodependontheir the UAE’s privatesectorworkforce. InQatar, 85percentof indigenous population. Emiratismakeupjusttwopercentof tion incountrieswhereforeignworkersfaroutnumberthe movements ofmigrantsduetothedemographicsitua- They addthatrestrictionsareneededtocontrolthe the workersintocountry. vestments ofemployerswhohaveincurredcostsinbringing The authoritiessaysuchrulesareneededtoprotectthein- authorisation neededforthemtogetanexitvisa. hold ontotheirworkers’passportsorrefuseprovidethe tions. The employerswhosponsoredtheirarrivalwilloften iftheyareunhappywiththeir work orlivingcondi- country Obstacles arealsocreatedtopreventthemfromleavingthe there. circumstances cantheyswitchtoanotheremployerwhile their jobforthelengthofcontract. Onlyinexceptional in theirhostcountry. The systemeffectivelytrapsthemin pany forwhomtheywillworkthedurationoftheirstay That meansthattheymustbesponsoredbyalocalcom- tied toabusiveemployers Sponsorship systemkeeps workers workers arehiredunderasystemknownaskafala. igrants headingforworkinQatarortheUnited Arab the Ministry of Labour the ability to monitor the companies' ofLabour theabilitytomonitorcompanies' the Ministry which reducesthe numberofunpaidemployeesand gives “The Wages ProtectionSystemisoneimportantdevelopment complain thattheyoftengomonths withoutpayment. particularly thoseworkingforsmaller companies, continueto has beenpraisedbyrightscampaigners, but workers, labour cardsthatallowthemtohire newstaff. The move Companies thatfailtocomplycanfacefinesorbedenied tored bytheLabourMinistry. electronically throughbankpaymentsthatcouldbemoni- which stipulatedthatcompanieshadtopaymigrantworkers In 2010, theUAEintroduceda Wages Protection Scheme residence formalities. (4) made itillegalforthemtodosobeyondthecompletionof to employers, despitechangestothelawin2009which found 88percentsaidtheyhadtorelinquishtheirpassports of in Marchquotedasurvey Asia migrantsin Qatar which are frequentlyunawareoftheirrights. Localmediareports are oftenshortfallsintheirimplementation, andmigrants Even whenlawsarechangedtobenefittheworkers, there dispute withtheirsponsor. authorize migrantstoworkinanotherjobiftheywerea In 2009, Qatarsaidthegovernmentcouldtemporarily the contractbetweenthem.” (3) tion, needstobeinformedandinterfereend theministry g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 May 2011 • 17 VIEW petroleum industriesandareassuchaspower, waterand and aftertwoweeksnotice. They arebannedinthegasand lowed, ofLabour butonlywiththepermissionofMinistry foreigners arenotallowedtojoin. al- Strikesareintheory companies withaQatariworkforceofmorethan100, but Qatari lawallowstheformationof “workers committees” in put downwithseverity, withleadersarrestedordeported. severely restrictedandstrikesdemonstrationshavebeen Trade unionsare effectivelyprohibited, collectivebargaining Beyond thecourts, migrantshavelittlescopeforaction. up to10,000dirham($2,700)attheairport. (5) so becausetheirvisashaveexpiredandtheyfaceafineof returned homewithouttheunpaidwages;othersfeartodo the courtswouldtakeuptheircase. Somegaveupand without salaries. They complainthatittookmonthsbefore in thedeserteastof Abu Dhabihavegoneuptotenmonths Pakistan andBangladeshlivinginthe Al Fayalabourcamp The NationalreportedinMarchthat400workersfromIndia, without wageswhiletheywaitforajudgement. cess islong, complicatedandoftenleavesworkersstranded when employersviolatetheregulations. Inrealitythepro- On paper, theworkerscangotocourtsseekredress time anddaysoff. Butrulesarefrequentlyignored. there areruleslimitingworkinghours, stipulatingvacation eight workers, regularcleaningofaccommodation, etc. And 100men,by aqualifiednurseforevery toiletsforevery square metreseachinsharedrooms, afirstaidroomstaffed modation, stipulatingthatworkersshouldhaveatleast4 Qatari labourlawliesdownstrictrulesonworkersaccom- months ofthesearingGulfsummer. workers fromtwotothreehoursduringthehottest rules thatexpandtheafternoonbreaksforconstruction recent praised also An Emiratehumanrightscampaigner toovercomethis.” they aretrying to controlthesituationpointwhereitshouldbe, but million (migrants)thatareregistered, sotheywillnotbeable ofLabourareminuteincomparison.Ministry It’s about4.1 labourers hereintheUAEishugeandresourcesof human rightscampaigner. “On theothersidenumberof performance intermsofpayingwages,” saysanEmirate mercy oftheemployers they arelargelyat the ofLabour.istry Instead protection fromtheMin- offered eventhelimited labour lawsandarenot cally excludedfromthe worse. They arespecifi- the situationcanbeeven For domesticworkers can bedeported. without avalidreason been absentfromwork and workerswhohave ers tosuspendstrikers, the lawallowsemploy- in theprivatesector, specifically prohibited banned andalthoughnot public sectorworkersare In theUAEstrikesby transport. campaigner workingwiththecommittee. and hadthemexplainedtomeinmyownlanguage’,” saida years andit’s thefirsttimeIhearthat I havesomerights “One Filipinoguycameuptomeandsaid ‘I’m herefor12 explain theirrightsunderQatarilabourlaw. has helpedtotraintrainersamongtheworkforcehelp seven languagesthathasbeendistributedtoworkersand The NHRChasalsoproducedabookletonworkers’rightsin mostly onlatesalaries. a labourrightsunit, whichisgettingupto15casesaday– Qatar, theNationalHumanRightsCommitteelastyearsetup awareness oftheirrightsinthedestinationcountries. In Some effortshavealsobeenmadetoincreaseworkers’ they leave. Butmanyworkersfallthroughthenet. rights andthepitfallstheymayencounterinGulfbefore or theauthoritiesdoendeavourtoeducateworkersontheir cies. Insomelaboursupplycountries, alocaltradeunion contract substitutionandotherabusesbyrecruitingagen- developing linkswithsendingcountriestoclampdownon Authorities inQatarandtheUAEarediscussingoptionsfor provide forlowerwages. andaresubstituted bycontractsthat in theGulfcountry their ownlanguagebeforetheyleave, whicharenotvalid The agenciesalsocheatworkersbyofferingcontractsin much moreandhavegonedeepintodebtinordertopay. home. The averagefeewas2,000riyals($550).Somepaid show halfhadpaidrecruitingagenciesfeesbeforeleaving that forcethemintodebt. of The survey Asian workersinQatar Recruitment agenciesoftendemandillegalfeesfrommigrants homelands Problems fortheworkers oftenbeginintheir whose homestheyshare. news/workers-stranded -without-pay 5 Workers Strandedwithoutpay, The National, 7March2011, www.thenational.ae/news/uae- dohapress.net/all-local-news-/7624-one-third-of-asian-workers-not-paid-on-time-survey.html) 4 One-thirdof Asian workersnotpaidontime: survey, DohaPress, 6March, 2011(http://www. reform?pageCount=0 www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-leads-on-path-to-worker-sponsorship- 3 UAEleadsonpathtoworkerssponsorshipreform, The National, 11January, 2011 hrrpt/2009/nea/136078.htm 2USDepartmentofState2009HumanRightsReport: Qatarwww.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ 1 Regionaloverview, ILORegionalOfficefor ArabStates, January, 2011 g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 18 VIEW improvements safetyremains aconcern Migrants buildGulfmega-Projects;despite Y cheated ofwages orforcedintodebttopayoffillegal fees. fall victimtodishonest recruitmentpracticesleavingthem during thescorchingsummermonths. All toofrequently they the Gulf, andtheirworkisdangerous difficult, particularly Building workersmakeupthebulk of themigrantlabourin nations orelsewherein Asia. includes manyothernationalitiesfrom Africa, poorer Arab India, Nepal andotherSouth Asia nations, althoughthemix drafted intobuildthesemammothprojects. Mostarefrom Hundreds ofthousandsconstructionworkershavebeen developments linkedtothe2022 World Cup. this isbeforetheyevenstartofthe$100billionworth city designedtoprovidehomesfor250,000people. All islands and32kilometresofnewcoastline;theLusail The Pearlresortforthesuper-rich comprisedof13artificial hall; EducationCitywhichhaseightuniversitycampuses; 50,000-seat stadiumandtheworld’s biggestindoorsports More mega-projectslaybeyond: there’s Sports Citywithits space. and 100,000square-metersofshoppingexhibition skyscraper billion developmentthatwillincludea105-story folding oftheDohaConventionCentreand Tower, a$1.5 hundreds ofmeninblueoverallsclamberingoverthescaf- Just below, afleet ofwhiteandorangebusesawaitsthe still watersofDohabay. shows aforestofhigh-risetowersgrowingupalongsidethe The panoramicviewfromthe40-story Alfardan Towers building workunderwayinDoha. ou havetogetuphighcomprehendthescaleof the New York Times reportedthat over 130artists, including However, theyfacedfreshcomplaintsin March2011, when computer banks. accommodation completewithsports facilities, librariesand Construction Village, whichtheyclaimisamodel for worker attract foreigntourists, theauthoritiesresponded bybuilding international criticismofaprojectwhich isdesignedto by aHumanRights Watch reportin2009(1). Sensitive to Conditions forlabourersontheislandweredenounced to designthebuildings. Playerdidthegolf course. Gary Franck Gehry, ZahaHadidandJeanNouvelweredraftedin The world’s toparchitectsincludingLordNormanFoster, hotels andleisurefacilities. museums, astate-of-the-artperformingartscentre, lavish as wellmajoroutpostsoftheGuggenheimandLouvre Island developmentwhichwillhouse145,000residents workers from18nationalitiesarebuildingtheSaadiyat planned orunderconstruction. Ten-thousand construction The citycurrentlyhas16skyscrapersover200metre but wasjust127,000in1975. soar toupfivemillionby2030–it’s currently900,000, City plannersin Abu Dhabiareplanningforthepopulationto The constructionboomisrepeated alongtheGulfcoast employers. 621 Qatarisworkedinconstruction, and293ofthemwere total numberofeconomicallyactiveQataricitizens. Just ing tothe2010census. That’s morethanseventimesthe Qatar had504,684foreignconstructionworkersaccord- g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 May 2011 • 19 VIEW City, abookby American journalistJimKrane. Hissource tors, accordingtoDubai: ofthe The Story World’s Fastest In 2008, Dubaihad6,000buildingsitesandjust16inspec- whispers outsideofearshothiscolleagues. pany iscuttingcorners, it’s becauseoftherecession,” he bubble isalsohavinganimpactonsitesafety. “The com- Disturbingly hesaystheburstingofDubai’s property development. ($165) amonth,” saysasafetyofficerononeBusinessBay for them. Someoftheworkersareonlygetting600dirham “We’ve got450workershereontwoshifts, butit’s bad very crisis. payments,from latesalary whichhaveworsenedsincethe ongoing saytheywereforcedtoacceptwagecutsorsuffer South Asian menlabouringinthosesiteswhereworkisstill on manyoftheproject’s 160towers. extension ofDubaiCreek, butworkhasgroundtoastandstill a newresidentialandbusinesscentrearoundanartificial the-city iseventuallysupposedtohouse300,000peoplein development isarathereerieexperience. This city-within- These days, adrivearoundDubai’s hugeBusinessBay jobs. around 20percentofshort-termcontractworkerslosttheir construction projectsworth$583billionwerefrozenand ers. The InternationalOrganizationforMigrationestimated cancelling upto2,000workpermitsadayformigrant- In early2009, Dubai’s ofLabourwasreportedtobe Ministry upwards andoutwardexpansion. of 2008-9, whichslammedthebreaksonemirate’s islanddevelopments,ski resortandluxury despitethecrash from theBurjKhalifadownwardstoitsmega-malls, desert The emiratestillsetsthestandardsforgrandioseprojects Dubai, almostaquarteroftheworld’s total. In 2006, itwasestimatedthat30,000craneswereinuse Dubai kickedofftheregion’s turbo-chargedbuildingboom. construction workers. Official statisticsfrom2005showedtheUAEhad718,000 reimburse recruitmentfeespaidbytheworkers. (2) are improved. Inparticular, the artistswantemployersto new Guggenheimunlessconditionsforforeignlabourers many fromtheMiddleEast, hadthreatenedtoboycottthe a lotofprogress,” saidDave in theMiddleEast hasmade countries, buthealthandsafety countries, eventheadvanced room forimprovementinall improvements. “There isalways Since thentherehavebeen figure wasaround800in2007. tion safetytrainerwhosaysthe cites ananonymousconstruc- accidents in2004. (4)Krane construction workersdiedin magazine foundthat880 Construction Week based In aninvestigation, theDubai- building sites. (3) topromotesafetyon industry set upwithintheconstruction headed BuildSafeUAE, agroup was GraemeMcCraig, who construction work. (6) was duetoimprovedsafetystandardsortheslowdownin it wasnotclearfromthestatisticsifdeclineinfatalities However, healthofficialsquotedbyConstruction Week said 680 in2009. deaths inallsectorstheemirateduring2010, downfrom Dhabi Health Authority saidtherewere551workplace statisticsarenoteasytofind,Countrywide butthe Abu have runawarenesscampaignsforworkersandemployers. ernments havebeenintroducingtightersafetycontrolsand In thefaceofinternationalcriticismsafetystandards, gov- show theirlabourersareworkinginashadyenvironment. although thereisaget-outclauseforemployerswhocan afternoon breakduringthethreehottestmonthsofyear, The UAEauthoritieshavegivenworkersa21/2hour 2011, officialssaid. could beexpandedtocoverthewholeemirate, bytheendof including heatexhaustionintheworkplace. The scheme statistics,will launchanonlinesystemforcollectinginjury four hospitalsin Abu Dhabiannouncedin April thatthey To counterthelackofreliabledataonworksiteaccidents, told Qatar’s The Peninsulanewspaper. (5) sudden deaths,” Nepal’s Ambassador SurayanathMishra weather ispointedoutbyhealthexpertsasthereasonfor with coolweather. The sudden relocationofworkerstoharsh “The NorthernandMiddleregionsofNepalaremountainous within daysoftheirstartingworkintheheatGulf. apparently healthyyoungmen. Manyofthefatalitiesoccur yearfromheartproblems,100 dieevery manyofthem In Qatar, wherethereare350,000Nepaleseworkers, over can riseover50C. and dehydrationwhileworkinginsummertemperaturesthat workers sufferingserioushealthproblemscausedbyheat change.” There arealsowidespreadreportsofconstruction 20 yearsintheMiddleEastandI'veseenalotofpositive working withBuildSafeUAEinDubai. “I've beenherefor Bass, afreelanceoccupationalhealthandsafetyconsultant constructionweekonline.com/article-11190-workplace-accident-rate-drops-in-abu-dhabi/ (6) Workplace accidentratedropsin Abu Dhabi, Construction Week, 2011www. 27February (5) The Peninsula, 2010, 4January (4) Siteworkerdeathtollexceeds800, Construction Week, August 6-19, 2005. (3) JimKrane, Dubai, ofthe theStory World's FastestCity, Atlantic Books, page207. guggenheim-threatened-with-boycott-over-abu-dhabi-project.html (2) New York Times, 16March, 2011: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/arts/design/ happiness-0 (1) HumanRights Watch 19May, 2009http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/05/18/island- g MatildeGattoni UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 20 VIEW O each hold. plastic bagswhichthey of thedayintolittle spoon theironlymeal as thedoctorbeginsto the well-tendedgrass Ittihad Park. They siton beneath palmtreesof Al men soonformacircle Dozens ofSouth Asian vegetable curry. warm caldronsofriceand assistant unloadluke- doctor andherPakistani shadows astheIndian emerge silentlyfromthe surrounded bymenwho Within seconds, thecaris the UAE. the emiratesmakingup Mosque inSharjah, oneof spectacular KingFaisal the GoldSoukand alongside aparkbetween pally Shashikalapullsup Dr.carrying Devana- in limbo Sponsorship systemleaves runaway workers the pastsixmonths,” saysRajanfromHyderabad, nowliving “I’ve hadnopay, noshelterandalmostproperfoodfor as illicitdaylabourers. depend onhandoutsoranypittancetheycanearnworking or paperstheyneedtoreturnhome, theysleeproughand Unable toworklegallyintheUAEandlackingmoney Arab Emirates. employers andfindthemselvesinalegallimbotheUnited meaning “without status.” They haverunawayfromtheir These menareknownhereaskhalliballi, aslangword asking formoney. have sevenfamilymembersinmy house, they arealways ourlives?’I ‘where isthemoney?Howcanwe survive I’m notgettinganymoney. Myfamilyiscallingandasking have tosendmoneymyfamilyin Bangladesh, butnow that’s 11,000dirham($3,000). Iwon’tgetthatback. I “I paid200,000inBangladeshimoney tocomehere, of thecountry, toDubai, I'dgetmoremoney. but thereisnotmuchmoneythere. Ithoughtbygoingout “I’ve beenthreeyearsinDubai. IhadajobinBangladesh, I've notbeenpaidforfivemonths. “I workonaconstructionsitenearEmirates Towers, but living tentoaroom neighbourhood where heshares ahousewithdozensofhiscountrymen Jassim, 26, isaBangladeshiconstructionworker livinginDubai’s Satwa night,the Toyota n acool, Gulfwinter to comeDubai.” company owestome, I’llgoback. Ithinkitwasa mistake I’ve gotmypassportwithme. IfIgetthemoney thatthe ($400) amonth, sotheyowemeover5,000 ($1,400). it I’llgobacktoBangladesh. Iwasgetting 1,500 dirham helps metogetthemoneyfrom company, onceIget “I work10hoursaday, withaone-hourbreak. Ifsomeone groceries andsometimestheyarenotgivingmecredit. the roomrentandsometimesIhavetopayforfood, badandupsetbecauseIdonothavemoneytopay very the money?HowamIgoingtopayroom?I’mfeeling “I’m feelingupset. I’malwaysaskingmyselfhowIcanget “I’ve twosonsandmyfamilyisaskingwhyamInotsending home. so hefledbutwasunabletofindotherworkorgetback Then, the40-year-old says, theystoppedpayingaltogether, only 400dirham($109).” me I’dget1,000dirham($270)amonth, buttheypaidme in Dubai. Iworkedforatyrerepaircompany. They promised houseboy inIndia. The agenttoldmeIwouldgetgoodpay “I paid50,000rupees($1,000)tocomehere. Iwasa illegally inDubaiafterfleeinghisemployer. g PaulAmes UNION #21 May 2011 • 21 VIEW tions canbeunhealthyanddangerous, butiftheyfallsickor jects inthedesertawayfromeyesofpolice. Condi- Those workingillegallyareoftentakentoconstructionpro- pay later, later, later,” saysDr. Shashikala. money, butthepeoplekeepsayingwellmaybethisonewill cheated again. “At theendofday, theydon'tpaythe pickup trucksofblackmarketemployers. They oftenare earn somemoneyasdaylabourersandlineuptoawaitthe In themornings, themenlivingaroundparkhopeto muchinterested.” Their embassyisnotvery zation wantstohelpusbecausethereisariskforthem. says. “I'm having alotofproblemstogetmoney. Noorgani- don't wanttobeassociatedwithhelpingtheillegals,” she “We arenotgettinganysupportfrompeoplebecausethey is littlehelpfromaffluentDubaisociety. has tobuybreadandyoghurtforthosewhomissout. There everyday. Sometimes, whensherunsoutofhotfood, she side thelaw, but shecanonlyprovidemealsforabout100 2007. Shedoesn’tknowhowmanymigrantsarelivingout- Dr. Shashikalahasbeenhelpingrunawayworkerssince can amounttoforcedlabour. guarantee thattheywon’tabscond. Criticssaythesystem quently holdontothemigrants’passportsasanadditional ment inthecostsofbringingworkersover. They fre- Employer’s saysuchrulesareneededtoprotecttheirinvest- exit visatoreturnhome. the employer’s permissiontogetanotherjob, ortoobtainan they canonlyworkforthatemployer. Iftheyquit, theyneed ofdestination.company intheircountry Oncetheyarrive, In ordertoworklegally, theyneedtobesponsoredbya Persian Gulf. as kafala, whichisusedtohiremigrantworkersacrossthe The khalliballiarevictimsofthesponsorshipsystemknown without thepromisedriches. by theIndianembassyandishopefulofreturningeven After monthsofwaiting, Rajannowhasexitpapersissued food forthehomeless. alley soupkitchenwhereDr. Shashikala’s helperscookup no documents?” Rajanasksashewaitsforfoodintheback money and, evenifIhadit, howcanIsendmoneyifhave any moneyhomeandwhyamIstayinghere?Buthaveno backstreet soupkitchen ty-run shelter. Hespoke froma whilewaiting foraladleofriceandcurry Twenty-three-year-old Joy isanillegallabourer inDubailivingachari- Ali, fromtheIndianstate of UttarPradesh, cametoworkin have comehere.” papers fromtheBangladeshiEmbassy. Ishouldnever “I wanttogobackhome. I’mjustwaitingfor emergency the passportnumber. passport. Idon’thaveanydocuments. Idon’teven know Bangladesh ($3,000), andwhenIgotheretheytookmy “An agentbroughtmeover, Ipaidhim2lakhsin work, for sub-constructors, buttheydon’tpaymeforit. years. I havenocompany, nojob, nomoney. Idosomelittle “I camehereonavisitvisaandhavebeenfortwo very distressingbecause I’mnotworkinganymore.”very “I’m stayinginashelternowandI want togohome. It’s to getanemergencypaper. passport, theyrefusedtogiveitback. SonowI’m hoping “When Iwenttothecompanyrequest thereturnofmy working outside. salary, soIcameout. Nowfornearly20monthsI’vebeen months Iworkedinacompany, buttheydidnot paythe “I’ve beenherefortwoyearsonemploymentvisa. Forsix job. Dubai asatailor, askilled andusuallyrelativelywell-paid progress. issue, butplanstoregularizetheirstatushavemadelittle in 2006thateffortswouldbetakentoresolvetheBidoon Arabia, BahrainandQatar. The UAEauthoritiesannounced civil rights. There arealsosignificantnumbersinSaudi 120,000, todemand bidoontooktothestreetsinFebruary as high100,000. InKuwait, whereestimatesrunupto around 30,000intheUAE, butsomeestimatesputthetotal are there believes An Emiratehumanrightscampaigner trading communitiesoriginallyfromIran, IndiaorZanzibar. British ruleinthe1960sand ‘70s. Othershaverootsamong ship whenstatesalongtheGulfcoastbrokeawayfrom from nomadictribespeoplewhoneglectedtoobtaincitizen- lived intheirhomelandsforgenerationsandclaimdescent The bidooncomefromavarietyofbackgrounds. Manyhave miserable situation.” for them…theywillacceptanykindofpaycheck. Itisa as cheaplabourbecauseyoudon’thavetocreatecontracts “Some ofthemareabusedbythebigcompaniesandused campaigner. than themigrantlabourers,” says, anEmiratihumanrights “They arereallyfacingmoreinhumanlivingconditions employment, healthcareandschooling. of society, deniedpapersandsubjectedtodiscriminationin less peopleknownas “bidoon” arepushedtothemargins no man’s landintheGulfregion. Tens ofthousandsstate- The runawaymigrantsarenotthegrouptrappedinalegal that inmindallthetime.” tree. ByhelpingthesepeopleI'msavingmanylives. Ikeep documents inacoupleofdayshewillhanghimselfon for clearancedocumentsfinallysaid, ifhedoesn’tgetthose suicide iftheydon'tgetsupport. Oneoftheseboyswaiting psychological scars. “There arecasesofdepressionand Dr. Shashikalasaysshealsohastotreattheillegals’ on him.” port offourpeopletowalk, butevenheretheyputalegcuff “In thiscase, hesustainedakneeinjury. Heneedsthesup- hospital bed. Dr. Shashikalaholdsupapictureofmanchainedto for workingillegally. get injuredtheyruntheriskofdetectionandimprisonment UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 22 VIEW evades regulation Seafarers leftstranded asGulfshipping S . are stillpliedbythe traditionaldhowsmooredinDubai such asthoselinkingtheUAEtoports inIranandIraq, which UAE to Africa andSouth Asia, ortraderoutesaroundthe Gulf Major problemsrelatetoshippinglanes headingfromthe seafarers’ complaints. where rulesareignoredandcourts ill-equippedtohandle has morethanitsfairshareofunscrupulousowners, ports standards ofseafarers’well-being. Unfortunatelyitalso bours andworld-classshippinglineswhoapplyinternational Miller saystheregioncontainssomewell-regulatedhar 200,000seafarers. 10,000 shipscarrying yearbyaround second-largest bunkeranchorageusedevery waters offFujairahontheUAE’s eastcoasthosttheworld’s made harbourandthelargestportinMiddleEast. The rapidly. Dubai’s Jebel Ali portistheworld’s biggestman- ades, ports likeDubai, Abu DhabiandQatarhaveexpanded World’s busiest. With theeconomicgrowthofrecentdec- Shipping lanesthroughthePersianGulfareamong some, expensiveandtime-consuming.” Anglican priestexplains. “There isredressbutit’s cumber “We havehadcasesofpeoplenotbeingpaidforyears,” the Rev. StephenMillerandhisMissiontoSeafarers. them. Trade unionsarebanned, butthesailorscanturnto reclaim unpaidwageshavenolabourrepresentativestohelp rupt ownersorforcedintocomplexlegalproceedingsto hip’s crewsstrandedoffthecoastof UAEbybank- - - come withoutacontract, andthentheship-ownerwillsay and they'llwantto stay18months. The realityisthey'll “They mayhavebeenpromisedthey'll get$500amonth says. and theymaywellhavepaid$5,000 forthatjob,” Miller get out. Someseafarerswillcomeontoaship intheUAE, job. and They areclimbingoneachothersshouldersto try India, Myanmar, 10seafarersthereisprobablyone forevery likePakistan,“If youarecomingfromacountry Bangladesh, for ajobontheirships. trouble findingcrewmemberswhoareevenwillingtopay Unscrupulous ownersoperatingonthoserouteshaveno tion.” will migratetotraderouteswherethereislittleornoregula- but itisbelowregulation, andthat10percentofshipping shipping isbelowstandard, notnecessarilyfallingtopieces, “It’s beenknownforalongtimethat10percentofworld interview. the tradebetweenIndiaandGulf,” heexplainedinan the internationalshippingratherthanlocalGulftradeor “It won'talterthefactthatthoseinspectorswillstillgofor routes. (1) the benefitsfilterdowntosailorsonlesswell-controlled Gulf toEuropeorNorth America, butitwilltaketimebefore tection forseafarersworkingonshippinglaneslinkingthe Labour Conventionshouldbringsignificantlyimprovedpro- Miller saystheimplementationofILO’s 2006Maritime g Magnum UNION #21 MAY 2011 • 23 VIEW vides volunteerhelptootherseafarers. unpaid wages. Henowworksasaboatmanagerandpro- early 2000sandfoughtathree-yearcourtbattletorecover Anil himselfwasstrandedonashipforsevenmonthsinthe procedures. Ithappenstoomuch.” do nothaveapropersystem, theydon’tknowtheproper happening beforetherecession, becausetheseowners or fivemonths,” says Anil, a formersailor. “Itwasalready “It’s usualherethattheownersdon’tpayforfourmonths, total of$30,000owedtothemeninbackwages. their families. Itisalsosupportingtheireffortstorecovera and phonecreditsthatenabledthemtostayintouchwith The MissiontoSeafarersprovidedthemenwithfood, water pass thatisvalidonlyforstaysofupto21days. seafarers, visasbutonlyashore theywerenotissuedentry They wereunabletocomeashorebecause, asisusualwith stranded aftertheship’s debt-ladenownerdisappeared. from Tanzania andhisFilipinoshipmateNelson Aguilar were 15 monthstrappedonboard. JumaMohammedMkumba of werefinallyabletogohomeinNovemberafter Two sailorsstuckonthe Al Manara2cargoshipintheport of theUAE’s northernemirates. dozen strandedcrews, normallyonshipsinthesmallerports 2011, Millersaysheisusuallydealingwithabouthalf-a- crisis of2008leftmanycrewsstrandedwithoutpay. Inearly The contractioninworldtradethatfollowedtheeconomic months andarestill$3,200dollarsinarrears.” ‘I onlypromised$100amonth,’ sothey'llthenworkfor18 good relationship, Icame forfree. Ididn'tpayanything, know thatthegovernmentofQatar andEritreatheyhave money tocomehere. Ifeelbadalwaysabout that. Butyou Indian people, theNepalese, theyhavetopaytoo much air conditioning. Mostofthetaxidriversare from Asia. The from Eritrea. The housesaregood. We haveeverything, it's freeatleast. All Ipayforismyfood. Isharewithothers “I havefreeaccommodation: sixpeopleinoneroom, but day. I'mworking11hoursadaynottolose. God, Ido notlose. Oneday, Ilosebutmakeitupthenext everybody. Somedaystherearenocustomers, butpraise and theysaid ‘that's youragreement.’ They dothisto they changetheagreementtorental. They justdidthis but theytoldmeyouragreementisthataftersixmonths started chargingforrental. Icameheretogetawage, month.I got1,400riyals($385)every After thatthey “When Igothere, Iworkedforsevenmonthswithasalary. automatically Iwentforit. years inthearmy, soIwhengotthechangetogetaway, us, ‘come there ischanceforworkinQatar.’ I’dbeen12 ment, becauseitwasallagreedbyourembassy. They told “You knowwhenIcameheredidn’teven readtheagree- until theendofdaytogetit. Sometimes Igetit, sometimesIhavealoss. Iwillfight “I havetopay260riyals($70)adayrentmytaxi. make hislivingfromcommissions. many drivershesayswas promisedagoodsalary, thentoldhehadto David isataxidriverfromEritrea working inQataricapitalofDoha.Like accepts that. happy.” Heisvery good,very sayingthereisnoproblemandthemanger nice, isvery time theysendhimareportsaying everything Indians, theydonotletusgetclosetothe boss. Every in theadministration, educatedperson. heisavery The don’t giveittotheadministrationbecause theQatariguy them, but theydon'tacceptit. Idon'tknow, maybethey they willnotacceptyou. Manytimeswewrotealetterto “In thiscountry, ifyougathertogethertogotheoffice, from Kerala, andtheyonlylookaftertheirownpeople. company. The peoplerunningthecompanyareIndian, don't knownothing, heisonlylikeanumbrellaforthe “The generalmanagerisQatari, butheisinnocent. He give toomuchmoney. pockets. The Qataridon’tknowthat, theyjustthink in themiddletakemoneyandputittheirown including accommodation, electricity, water, butthepeople is4,000riyals($1,000) tell theQataribossmysalary are manypeopleandtheygetcommissions. They In themiddle, betweentheQatariandemployee, there thebigproblemisnotQataripeople.“In thiscountry Tanzania, Sudan. are bringingmorepeoplefromKenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, even theairticketcompanypaid. Incarworkthey somebody tohelpthem.” farfromBasra.but Baghdadisvery Ihopetheywillsend “I toldthemtocontacttheIndianembassyinBaghdad, money forfuelorfood. stranded intheShattal-ArabwaterwayoffBasrawithno for ayear, theIraqiownerhadvanishedleavingcrew and theIraqiportofBasra. After failingtopaytheirwages from theIndiancrewofavesseloperatingbetweenDubai charts andmaritimebric-a-brac, hereceivedatextmessage As wedrankteainhiscosyofficedecoratedwithships labour-convention/WCMS_090250/lang--en/index.htm 1- MaritimeLabourConvention, ILO, 7February, 2006www.ilo.org/global/standards/maritime- g Magnum Publisher responsible in law: Sharan Burrow, General secretary D/2011/11.962/10 ITUC 5 Bld du Roi Albert II, Bte 1, 1210-Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 2240211, Fax: +32 2 2015815 E-Mail: [email protected] • Web Site: http://www.ituc-csi.org

Report: Paul Ames Photos: Mathilde Gattoni with Paul Ames, Eduardo Diaz, Magnum and Reuters Editor in chief: Natacha David Layout: Vicente Cepedal War II. inthedecadesafter the developmentofoilindustry World poorest Arab states, Qatarsawitseconomytakeoffwith union withtheemiratesofUAEfailed. Onceoneofthe Britain pulledoutofthePersianGulf. Negotiationson Qatardeclaredindependencein1971after History: is expectedtogiveabigboostitstourismcredentials. ing, andtourism. financialservices The2022 World Cup fully soughttodiversifyitseconomythroughmanufactur third largestnaturalgasreserves. Qatarhasalsosuccess- 2010 was16percent. sitsontheworld’sThe tinycountry withaGDPpercapitaof$88,200.country Growthin Economy: Bysomecounts, Qataristheworld’s richest ministers. council iscurrentlyappointedbytheemir, asarecabinet emir havebeenrepeatedlypostponed. The 35-member and planstoholdelectionsforacounciladvisethe Hamad binKhalifa Al Thani. There arenopoliticalparties, Politics: monarch, Powerisheldbythehereditary Emir Main cities:Doha(capital); Al Rayyan. 350,000 Nepalese;160,000Filipino. Main nationalities:425,000Qataris;500,000Indians; Population: 1.7million Jamaica). Area: 11,600squarekilometres(roughlythesizeof Profile:Country Qatar Trucial CoastStatesgainedindependence fromBritain. TheUAEwasfoundedin1971after theso-called History: now representjust25percentofGDP. into services, tourismandmanufacturing. Hydrocarbons reserves, but inrecentyears, hasdiversified thecountry 2.5 percent. The wealthwasbasedonhugeoiland gas economies. GDPpercapita$37,000. Growthrate2010, until itwashardhitbythe2008-9slump, fastestgrowing Economy: The UAE isoneoftheworld’s richestand, themselves appointedbytherulers. and halfelectedbyanelectoralcollegeof6,689Emiratis Council) ishalfappointedbytherulersofemirates, are banned. The 40seatparliament(FederalNational up oftherulerssevenemirates. Politicalparties President ischosenbytheFederalSupremeCouncilmade president, primeministerandofdefence. The med binRashid Al Maktoum, rulerofDubai, isvice- Nahyan, rulerof Abu Dhabi, ispresident. SheikhMoham- semi-autonomous emirates. SheikhKhalifabinZayed Al Politics: isafederationmadeupofseven,The country Main cities: Abu Dhabi(capital);Dubai, , Al Ain. 1 millionother Asian; 500,000Europeanand African. ans, 1.25millionPakistanis, 500,000Bangladeshis; Main nationalities:900,000Emiratis, 1.75millionIndi- Population: 4.7million Austria). Area: 83,600squarekilometres(roughlythesizeof Profile:Country UAE - the workforcearebannedfromstriking. and themigrantworkerswhomakeupvastmajorityof right tostrikeisnotrecognized, andpublicsectorworkers right tocollectivebargainingisnotrecognizedinlaw. The Union rights:Thelawdoesnotpermittradeunions. The with India. to preventpiratesbasedtherefromthreateningitstrade The Britishtookcontrolinofthecoast19thcentury sector arebannedfromstriking. services” suchashealth, transportandtheoilgas Public servants, domesticworkersandthosein “essential of bargainingandeffectivelyneutralisetherighttostrike. by law, conditionsandrestrictionsseverelylimitthescope collective bargainingandtherighttostrikearerecognized make effectivetradeunionsvirtuallyimpossible. Although Union rights:Restrictionsonworkers’organizations