There is no doubt that Dubai’s skyline is spectacular or that the palm islands are magical but one has to wonder...in a region short on human capital, how did they possibly manage to construct this modern empire?
Well, just like in many historical booms, Dubai recruits labor from impoverished countries such as India and Pakistan. About 90-95% of the UAE is comprised of immigrants but only a select few have high paying professional service positions. On the contrary, an estimated half million immigrant workers (and that number is probably low) do manual labor for an average of $140- $415 a month.
So, where are these labor workers? Why do we only see huge villas, fancy cars and luxury living?
According to numerous in-country sources (and now confirmed by my human rights research), the immigrant construction workers are brought to the UAE on work visas contracted through private labor recruitment agencies. Despite UAE law, most workers pay the agencies thousands in recruitment fees and are never reimbursed the money they are promised. Then the indebted workers are passed along to the construction companies, where the owners have significant power over their well-being. The UAE government has purposefully created loose labor laws to attract foreign companies and further their strategy to divest in oil and invest in global services. However, this national-owner-worker relationship is not symbiotic.
The workers live in labor camps outside the city and are bused in every day to work long hours in the extreme desert heat and then return only to sleep. After hearing this explanation, I suddenly became aware of all the white school buses transporting slender dirt-covered men usually with their heads bobbing as they attempted recoup some sleep and strength.
I didn’t want to be rude and stare at the men but I couldn’t help wondering …where are you going and what is it like? Another study abroad group confirmed my suspicions when they told me about their experience driving past the labor camps outside of Dubai. In route, they were told that they were not allowed to take pictures of the living facilities and that tourists are not allowed on the premises. So, without digging for further information, I feel pretty confident saying that the City of Gold does not deserve any gold stars for their labor conditions. And public health authorities would agree, considering they found that 40 percent of emirate's 1,093 labor camps violated minimum health and fire safety standards.
Now, I know I am not reporting anything novel- the US exploits poor Americans, Americans exploit Mexicans, Mexicans exploit indigenous Mexicans and the basic pattern of taking advantage of the vulnerable is unfortunately universal. I have had enough econ, marketing and strategy classes to understand the driving forces behinds squeezed labor compensation but I guess I had still hoped that in a country filled with so much wealth that they are building indoor ski hills and cities within malls, that labor conditions would be above par.
The UAE prides itself on having the world’s biggest malls, tallest buildings, greatest ocean front properties but what about the best green building standards, labor laws or health benefits?
I know the counter arguments- at least the UAE is providing jobs for otherwise unemployed foreigners or that at least the conditions are better than in the countries where workers originate. But really, is that the best metric? Imagine the slogan- we provide better than the slums of India or we do as little as possible to get the most profit.
Anyways, I guess Dubai labor issues are not new to those who follow global human rights closely and this goes to support my theory that traveling is not just about sampling foreign food or capturing great pictures (although I do like both) but rather it is about broadening your awareness so that the education continues even after the adventure.
So as the exploited workers continue to build and polish the city of gold, I hope investors, travelers and company owners begin by acknowledging the existence of poverty even in Dubai. Companies need to accept their responsibility and do more than just undercut their competitor but also protect their workers. And as consumers, we need to keep them honest.
Strive for a gold star in human rights and see the ROI!
Human Rights Watch a report released today.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/17/hrw-artists-threaten-boyc_n_837249.html
http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/united-arab-emirates
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