Its another world
A world away from the glitzy skyscrapers and pulsing nightclubs of downtown Dubai, labourer Mohamed Ashraf stares at the metal gates of his labour camp, terrified about his future after management broke a strike at the company where he has worked for six years.
Backed by security forces, bosses at his company - a massive construction firm with interests across the gulf ended a strike on Monday, but the fallout continues as more workers are receiving deportation orders.
Unions and strikes are illegal in Dubai and across the Gulf and rather than demonstrating or holding placards, a few thousand workers simply stayed in their accommodations last weekend and didn't show up for work.
It's unclear how many workers downed their tools or how many received deportation orders, although it seems dozens if not hundreds will be forced to leave the country they have helped to build.
The camp where Ashraf lives with some 2,500 Arabtec employees is located in Sonapur or the "land of God", a series of dusty streets and barracks-style labour camps guarded by private security and home to about 200,000 workers.
We live with five men to a room and 40 or 50 men share a bathroom," Syed Khaled, a concerete mixer, told Al Jazeera.
Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said workers such as Khaled are "effectively living in 21st-century slave states".
"It's appalling," she told Al Jazeera of the situation. "The governments and employers must sit down and respect the rights of workers to bargain collectively. Most companies are forcing their workers to live in squalor.
Under the kefala system, a worker's legal status in the country is tied to his employer. Foreigners cannot change jobs without permission from their company. Supporters say these rules allow citizens to retain their rights, while critics say they are a form of modern servitude.
"If we formed a union and we had a leader he would take our problems to management and they would just deport the leader," he said. "I don't think the situation will improve."
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/201352375248751541.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/201352371226306130.html
Licking their shoes for personal gains is worse than doing nothing.
Licking is also a kind of doing .... what do you say .. ?
It is the fault of governments of countries like India & their embassies where ambassadors do nothing but lick the feet of Arab rulers for their personal benefits.
Yes :O)
Arabs also import amels from Oz //
Legislation may not dramatically increase overall construction costs but it will lower profits.
World is watching and will continue to watch...nothing will change.. not today, not tomorrow & never.. and life will go on. Tomorrow another similar news will make this a forgotten story. Sad but thats how it seems to be.
Hope this places and leaderships are aware that the world is aware and watching what is going on and all the fancy things on the outside will count for nothing much when it really matters
All this matters is always the fault of workers,If they sign and accept what is in the contract salary they should accept it and live by it i, if not they should not work here in all GCC, one-thing theres hawkers outthere that take commissions that alleviate the hardships of workers , and also this union leaders corrupting the minds of the down trodden selfpity of workers to take and request to raise more their salary,So whose feeling the brunt,Same the workers.Thats why this N.O.C. System works releasing the burden from the government and passing all to the employer ,which in return litigation in court are avoidable only comes in terms and amicable settlements , then deportation,
That's fine .. but how come managements' own stomachs are full .. ?
Their gfs & / or wives are driving Porsche Boxters !
You'r well ahead on the path ..
[ God will be very very happy on timepass.com because he is accepting sorrow as a blessing from Him ... ]
I bow to you ... beacuse of your love for Him !
High regards for you, MM.
all i say we all have prayer to god in our home counrty that we should get morden salver means job in gulf becoz we in our home country india srilanka pak nepal phillpines etc.
if we cant accpet this than our home and near onces will die for hungery
our country are courpted and we all here as salave
just stay in allah"s will and one day allah will make every thing good.
i like sarow(dukh) becoz sarow never leave me in good or bad time i hate happines becoz its come for moment.
i like sarow(dukh) becoz its shows me the pictuer of my allah/baba nanak.
Top management turns a blind eye to the workers' issues ... if not then what ?
..Glitzy skyscrapers, pulsing nightclubs and lots of nice and fancy things out there but its so sad and strange that the workers at the other end live in such a bad and shabby situation and not even sure about their work in the place they helped to build. Would it not be more advisable to sit down and have a talk with this workers and sort things out instead of sacking them and deportation just because the organization can use this policy and procedure
Real culprits (to blame, IMO) are the leaders (socalled), corrupt-incapable-selfish, of these workers in their home countries.
Sad reality for many in the Gulf.. They don't neccessarily need unions. What they need is government to enforce working practices and employers to comply
Isn't it true that the UAE does not follow the Kafala and NOC system anymore? As far as I know, Qatar and Saudi are the only two countries who still follow it while the others have given it up long back. In fact Oman was the last one to do so. So how come this is happening in Dubai?