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FEATURE - Foreign labourers in UAE struggle to escape poverty
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By Ghaida Ghantous
DUBAI (Reuters) - Ranver hasn't been paid in nine months by his construction firm, but the Indian worker fears he could be deported if he complains to Dubai authorities as he also works illegally on the side.
His plight is shared by many of the tens of thousands of labourers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, lured by promises of jobs in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
They are the foundation of a rapid development drive that has turned Dubai from a backwater desert state into a bustling metropolis with a futuristic skyline.
As contracting firms cash in on the construction boom in the Gulf's trading and tourism hub, many workers receive meagre salaries and sometimes go without pay for months, sparking occasional protests.
They live in overcrowded camps on the outskirts of town, out of sight of five-star hotels and resorts which lure millions of tourists from around the world to Dubai. Local newspapers have reported cases of suicide by unpaid workers whose families rely on their remittances.
The UAE says it is amending its labour code and Dubai has set up a committee to resolve complaints by workers and ensure that companies abide by their commitments.
Ranver borrowed 100,000 rupees ($3,500) to come to Dubai but cannot repay it or send cash to his family in Rajasthan because he has not received his 550 dirham ($150) salary in nine months. He has taken on another, illegal job to scrape by.
"It's better to do any job for 50 dirhams instead of risking being caught by police and deported," the 22-year-old said.
Under UAE law, employees cannot work for anyone other than their sponsor.
Srinivas Kasa Kasa Nadipi, a 34-year-old Indian from Hyderabad, said he hasn't been paid in six months and that his employer wants reimbursement for bringing him to the country.
"They want me to pay 1,500 dirhams so I can move to another company," the construction worker said. "I have no money.
"I complained to the (Labour) Ministry. They say, okay, we will ask the company to pay you, but nothing has happened," the father of three said. "I cannot go home because I haven't repaid the loan and the interest keeps piling up."
AMENDING LABOUR LAWS
The Labour Ministry says companies that do not pay salaries regularly are refused additional work permits and some employers have been taken to court to force them to pay.
The ministry's undersecretary has said that most of the complaints come from the construction sector where companies are strapped for cash in between projects.
An industry source said construction firms try to remain liquid to bid for new projects and that instead of taking loans they resort to withholding their workers' salaries.
The United States has been urging the UAE and other Gulf Arab states to amend their worker rights laws, making them conform to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), to qualify for a proposed free trade pact.
The UAE says it was working on amending its laws long before trade talks began last month. It said it would allow workers to set up trade unions, meeting one of the basic demands of the world labour body.
Walid Hamdan of the regional ILO office in Lebanon said the body would help the UAE amend its labour code to conform to global standards. He said the country needed to revise its sponsorship system and ensure new regulations are implemented.
"Gulf countries should look into issues of wages and social and health protection. Workers should be part of a system where their rights are protected," he told Reuters.
"Home countries also have a role to play in protecting their nationals. They need to provide them with information on what they will face."
Expatriates make up around 80 percent of the UAE's four million population. The country's economy depends heavily on cheap foreign labour.
HARD LABOUR
Workers toil in scorching heat and high humidity for most of the year in the desert state. Many cover their heads with cloth against sunstroke and take salt tablets to avoid dehydration.
"In the heat, it is very, very tough to work. Some people faint," said Hamid from Pakistan.
"I paid 5,000 dirhams to come here. The agent promised good facilities and good work but he lied," said a Nepalese worker.
The camps where many of the labourers live are rows of cement blocks with balconies are draped with laundry. At one housing unit, 12 men share a room with bunk beds and a low table where they sit down to eat.
Men dressed in traditional "dhotis" wrapped around their waists watch television or pass time in the two-storey bloc until their shift starts. Some complain of unsafe conditions at the camps while others say power and water supplies are erratic.
Abdul-Aziz Taha, a 37-year-old labourer from Luxor in Egypt, said his hopes of a better life had been crushed.
"We came here to make a living but instead we are in ruins," he said.
