Expo 2020: Dubai under the microscope for treating workers

Determined to make an impression as the venue for the world’s first ever fair organized in the Middle East, Dubai invested billions of dollars in Expo 2020, in hopes of drawing 25 million visitors to the pristine grounds and the joyous festivities delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, which began last month.

In his works, however, a controversial labor system was used that has generated complaints of mistreatment of workers.

Dubai takes great care of its image and is aware that the Expo focuses attention on its working practices. For this reason, it set very rigorous labor standards for the companies that participated in the project. Contractors offered better wages and benefits compared to other jobs in the country, and many employees said they were grateful to have gotten those jobs.

But there were violations, according to human rights organizations and interviews with two dozen workers by the Associated Press. Some say that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) uses a system that revolves around chains of foreign subcontractors, which links workers’ residence permits to their jobs and gives employers enormous powers.

The workers say they had to pay exorbitant and illegal sums to local recruiters in order to work at the world’s fair. The bosses kept their passports, did not keep their promises, living conditions in crowded residences were unhealthy, food bad or expensive, and sometimes they had to work 70 hours a week, in sweltering heat.

“You can have the best (labor) standards in the world, but if you have this huge power imbalance, workers are in a situation where they are exposed to being exploited all the time,” said Mustafa Qadri, CEO of Equidem. , a labor rights consulting agency that recently denounced mistreatment of workers at the Expo during the pandemic.

In response to questions from the AP, Expo organizers reproduced past responses to Equidem’s report, saying they took the welfare of workers “very seriously.”

The statement admitted that workers “periodically raised concerns” related to “pay and food,” without going into details.

The Expo did not respond to questions from the AP about the alleged mistreatment of the workers, including reports that illegal charges were made during recruitment and passports were withheld.

The European Parliament called for a boycott of the fair due to worker abuse and other human rights concerns. The Emirates said the resolution contains “wrong data”, without going into details.

Emirati authorities did not respond to repeated questions from the AP.

Mohammed, 27, one of the workers who swept the fair grounds for eight hours a day, said he got the job through a recruiter in his southern Ghanaian town, who promised him about $ 500 a month. , more food and lodging. First, however, he had to pay $ 1,150, a sum he had saved over the years. The recruiter told him that he would get that money back in no time.

When he arrived in Dubai, Mohammed found that he was going to earn $ 190 a month. In six months, you would have earned less than what you paid for the job.

“If I had known, I would never have come,” said Mohammed, who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of reprisals. The same requested the majority of the workers interviewed by the AP.

Equidem documented numerous cases of abuse at Expo sites at the start of the pandemic. The workers said they were hungry because they were withheld up to five months of wages and unemployment benefits.

Some had their documents withheld, preventing them from changing jobs or leaving the country. Many lived in crowded facilities and in one case 80 people shared a toilet.

Expo workers interviewed by the AP described other forms of exploitation. Bad food was one of the main complaints. Many also complained of having to work long hours in hellish heat.

Several workers from West Africa and Pakistan said they paid recruiters hundreds of dollars. Others claimed that their passports were withheld. The lack of freedom was one of the main criticisms of a system in which hiding from the bosses is punishable by arrest and deportation.

Eric, a cleaning worker from Cameroon, said he and another employee complained to Emrill Services about the cost of food and not having access to the kitchen, but received no response. They earn less than $ 300 a month, without a food subsidy. “You do not eat well, because if you do, your salary will not allow you to make ends meet,” he said.

In response to requests for comment, Emrill promised to investigate the complaints.

Guards posted at the Expo entrance, employed by Abu Dhabi construction firm Arkan, said they were promised hot meals during their eight-hour shift break. Despite complaining for the past three months, they have not been given meals and are hungry during the day. Arkan did not respond to requests for comment.

The guards are the ones who work the longest shifts of 13 hours, including a 40-minute lunch break. Except for a quick breakfast, hours are spent in the heat, with temperatures sometimes reaching 50 ° C (120 Fahrenheit).

They say they are constantly watched and that their foremen threaten them with payroll deductions and other punishments if they fall asleep or take too long breaks.

“If you’re late, close your eyes at work, or go inside too many times, you get at least one day’s pay deducted,” said an Indian guard hired by the First Security Group in Dubai.

At least six people said they kept their passports. Some cleaners indicated that they signed forms they did not understand, apparently authorizing their employers to hold their documents in a secure location, an illegal practice that is very common in the UAE.

Despite all the difficulties, most workers said they were grateful to be able to earn wages well above what they would earn in their countries or what they would earn doing the same job in other sectors of Dubai.

Others, on the other hand, regretted the routine of going from home to work and from work to home, where four to six people share a room.

“Work and sleep, work and sleep … We have no freedom,” lamented a 40-year-old Kenyan guard. “You’re just trying to survive.”