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21,000 workers killed building Saudi’s the Line project, media reports

November 12, 2024 at 11:42 am

Satellite image of NEOM Construction progress. The Line is a linear 170km smart megacity project currently in development in Saudi Arabia on 3 February 2023 [Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2023]

Some 21,000 workers are reported to have died while constructing Saudi Arabia’s ‘The Line’ as part of the kingdom’s futuristic megacity NEOM, raising ongoing concerns over the project’s labour and human rights standards.

According to a documentary aired by British broadcaster ITV last month, up to 21,000 migrant workers in Saudi Arabia have perished during efforts to build the ‘The Line’ – one of NEOM’s grandest megaprojects – over the course of the eight years since the work began.

That reported number equates to over eight deaths per day, every day since the start of the project. Additionally, 100,000 more have reportedly gone missing while working on megaprojects across NEOM.

With the migrant workers primarily hailing from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, sources were quoted as revealing that working conditions commonly include long hours, wage theft and frequent human rights abuses. They also claimed to have been made to feel like “trapped slaves” and “beggars”.

According to the documentary, one Nepalese worker named Raju Bishwakarma had called friends and family to ask for help, insisting his employer would only let him leave if he paid five months salary. He was reportedly found dead shortly after.

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The outlet Newsweek also cited Nepal’s foreign employment board as revealing that the deaths of 650 Nepalis in the megaprojects remain unexplained.

The Saudi government has denied the allegations, with the kingdom’s National Council for Occupational Safety and Health calling them “misinformation” that is “accompanied by unfounded statistics lacking credible sources”.

In a statement, it insisted that it “affirms the work-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia is 1.12 per 100,000 workers. This figure positions Saudi Arabia among the lowest globally in terms of work-related fatalities.” The council stressed that the International Labour Organisation [ILO] “acknowledges this progress, highlighting on its official website that Saudi Arabia has made significant advancements in improving occupational safety and health and reducing workplace accidents at the national level.”

The statement also said that the kingdom’s labour laws “mandate that employers provide comprehensive health insurance that covers essential preventive, therapeutic and healthcare services for all employees. Regulations also restrict work under direct sunlight during the summer months and establish working hours in accordance with international standards set forth in relevant ILO agreements.”

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