Slave Labor in DubaiEssay Preview: Slave Labor in DubaiReport this essayEarning its reputation as “the Vegas of the Middle East,” Dubai did not begin booming until the past fifty years. Plans for construction in the next five years are so great that when described are almost impossible to imagine. If all goes according to plan, among other things, Dubai will possess the worlds tallest skyscraper and biggest theme park. I was in utter amazement when I discovered Dubai would also possess the worlds most luxurious underwater hotel which is accessible by submarine train. In my opinion, the most unfathomable accomplishment achieved by Dubai is possessing the worlds largest mall. With American consumerism at its peak, I would have bet that we would have achieved this feat. Saunders describes his first response to Dubai as wanting to “bring my family over, set up shop in my hut-evoking villa, and never go home again.” He describes it as making you feel “happy and heroic and a little breathless.”
Saunders describes Dubai as “the newest great city in the world.” However, behind the glitter and luxury, the experiences of migrant workers in Dubai paint a much less attractive pictureЖof wage exploitation, indebtedness to unscrupulous recruiters, and working conditions that are hazardous to the point of being deadly. These slave laborers are refused standard work rights including unionizing, giving them no recourse whatsoever. Hundreds of workers are killed each year due to work related accidents, with no remorse of any kind shown from the government; they are merely replaced. At wages less than one U.S dollar per hour, they are forced to share bunks in horrid labor camps or worn down apartments. Not to mention that upon entering Dubai, these people are virtually stripped of their life, including possessions, passports and exit visas. These people are seemingly turned into slaves, with no rights or voice of their own.
The work rights that these laborers possess really put the things which I take for granted into perspective. I could never imagine having to risk my life in order to perform my daily job. These hazardous work conditions result in an extremely high death and injury rate. Hundreds of these migrant workers die each year, with the government only able to account for a minute amount. This is greatly due to the fact that the government does not enforce its own law requiring employers to report worksite injuries or deaths. An estimated 880 deaths occurred from work related accidents in Dubai in 2005. However, of these 880 estimated deaths, only 39 were actually reported. Another extreme health hazard pertains to the extremely climatic conditions in which these workers spend the vast majority of their time. Heat-related illnesses are a manifestation of dangerous working conditions. Between the months of April to September temperatures rise well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit while between the months of July and August temperatures soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. An estimated 5000 workers per month are seen by doctors due to heat related illnesses.
Labor unions and organized protests are virtually unknown for these workers. Due to the fact that there is no structured way for the laborers to advocate on behalf of their rights, thousands of workers have resorted to public demonstrations fighting for better wages and conditions. After a string of highly publicized strikes and labor demonstrations, including one occurring from May to August 2005 when 7000 workers blocked Dubais main thoroughfare to protest the companys non-payment of their wages, the UAE government promised to respect workers rights. However, despite promises to legalize trade unions, the government instead passed a new law banning labor strikes and announcing that any striking workers would be subject to deportation. Even when found guilty of violating a labor law,
The UAE’s laws restrict workers the right to strike, and the government’s efforts to restrict their access to the labor market have undermined their ability to engage in productive and constructive work, making it difficult to negotiate basic working conditions and working conditions without significant wage increases. After a few hundred hours of work a week for a minimum of seven weeks, workers are required to complete 10–15 hours of unpaid work per shift, plus overtime, a minimum of 40 hours, and will have to sign a contract that prohibits these hours, or face fines. Workers with paid time off are subject to fines or jail if they strike within 30 days of their new contract.
The government’s attempt to impose a seven-hour work week as the “minimum” required for those working full-time during the current working day has only just begun. The government has already announced they will not increase public assistance for working women from 1% to 20% of the workforce, or they will be subject to fines of up to 1,600 dirhams (approximately $15,000). As a result, many workers in UAE rely on government help only if they get paid by private employers.
The government says that they will not be able to pay workers below their level of regular income under UAE’s “one way contract”, meaning that they cannot access government benefits or health care or work through other governmental programs. Even as workers at restaurants, hotels, factories, and retail establishments in the UAE may choose not to bring their own bags, they cannot be forced to use public transportation unless they pay the official toll in addition to getting paid fare and other basic necessities. Most of the employers are not offering workers any public funding, or in some cases have only provided the government with money for employees; many are offering to offer the workers a better job with different qualifications. The government’s approach has clearly been more of a challenge to workers than for working.
This initiative has resulted in very few public organizations or individuals providing help and employment. Government employees and non-government organizations have had no money available to provide assistance to their families. Only a small minority of government employees and non-government organizations provide services in a way that benefits the whole working population.
UAE is one example of a country trying to make a change: While people were working at airports, train stations, malls, coffee shops, and other working places without pay, the government had little choice but to provide financial assistance to the workers who did the work. These workers became the basis for many of the workers’ grievances concerning the situation. Even so, as the UAE has more than 10 million workers, and as these people receive government support, it is clear that labor reform should be taken to a broader level to ensure a more effective and equitable system of collective bargaining through collective action.
In recent years, numerous labor-rights activist organizations and groups have tried to organize the workers. From their inception, they have organized for and against minimum wages, to working conditions, as well as for workers’ rights such as equal pay for equal work. After finding the government to have acted in the interest of some workers, such as many people, and to encourage others, such as students, many labor movements have tried to make