Construction workers protest against pay and conditions in Dubai

Hundreds of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi construction workers took part in a protest in the Burj Dubai downtown area yesterday morning demanding better pay and improved working conditions. The demonstration led to riot police being deployed on the streets of Dubai in an attempt to resolve the crisis, Arabian Business news site reported.

Dubai’s media office posted a tweet confirming that Dubai Police had “resolved the issue of Fountain Views workers gathered in Boulevard demanding bonuses” within an hour of the protest taking place, but not before it had resulted in massive traffic delays for commuters in the area, which is home to Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.

Several workers said that their overall pay was cut from 1,400 UAE dirhams ($381) a month to 1,050 dirhams after their overtime rate was reduced, despite working the same number of hours. The quality of the meals provided for them has also deteriorated, they complained.

A spokesperson for Emaar, which employs the workers, issued the following statement: “Emaar works with established and large contracting companies that have a good track-record and strong organisational structure for our projects. We have clear guidelines for our contractors to ensure that they follow industry best practices. We have stipulated strict measures in terms of health, safety and worker conditions that not only comply with the UAE government regulations but also to international standards in the construction industry. Emaar is taking this matter seriously and have highlighted the incident to the senior management of the contractors to ensure that matters are resolved at the earliest possible.”

The UAE has witnessed such protests by workers on a number of occasions. International human rights organisations have condemned violations against Asian workers’ rights. The largely migrant workforce makes up a large proportion of those employed in the country.

The May 2013 strike by Arabtec Company workers involved in the construction of the Burj Dubai project is regarded as the most notorious strike in the country’s history. At the time, although the company said that it had resolved the dispute, Human Rights Watch claimed to have information confirming that the UAE government expelled 43 of the workers deemed responsible for organising the strike.