Labourers at construction giant Arabtec in the UAE complain of low pay, poor conditions and lack of annual leave.
from Al Jazeera
"A strike by low-wage workers at Arabtec – the construction giant building the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, a branch campus of New York University and a series of other megaprojects – has ended after police entered labour camps and immigration services issued a series of deportation notices.
"United Arab Emirates security forces converged on camps operated by Arabtec on Monday, workers told Al Jazeera, and labourers continue to receive deportation orders as part of the fallout. Arabtec workers interviewed by Al Jazeera say they earn between $102-$325 per month, and send as much as they can back to their families in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries.
"Arabtec officials have said they were paying the workers according to their contracts. Unions and strikes by foreigners – who make up more than 90 percent of the private-sector workforce – are illegal in the UAE and across the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Human rights groups liken the situation faced by workers to a form of 21st-century servitude, as labourers cannot change jobs without the permission of their sponsor and their migration status is controlled by employers. …"
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