Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014

Gulf Labor's Observations and Recommendations after Visiting Saadiyat Island

and Related Sites (March 1!"1# "$1%&
Members of Gulf Labor visited the worker accommodations on aadi!at "sland on March 1#, and
the Louvre and the Gu$$enheim sites on March 20, 2014% &he followin$ document outlines this
$rou'(s main observations, concerns and su$$estions% &hese are also based on: a) visits to related
off*island sites in +bu ,habi, ,ubai and har-ah. b) interviews with workers both in the /+0 and
in their home countries. c) discussions with informed local sources and. d) 'revious visits b!
members of Gulf Labor% Our recommendations for &,"1 +bu ,habi and the Gu$$enheim
2oundation are made with the sincere intention of coo'eratin$ with these institutions, on their
im'lementation%
Gulf Labor was invited b! &,"1 3aadi!at "sland(s master 'lanner and develo'er, see tdic%ae) to
visit the sites and accommodations on aadi!at "sland% 4e acknowled$e &,"15s willin$ness to
en$a$e with Gulf Labor and the issues of workers5 welfare seriousl! and in an o'en wa!% Our
discussions with &,"1 were held in the s'irit of honest, strai$htforward debate and e6chan$e of
views% &he re'resentatives we met were &,"1(s 7ublic Relations staff% /nfortunatel!, we did not
meet or interact with an!one at &,"1 whose 'rinci'al role was investi$atin$ and monitorin$ labor
conditions, or 'romotin$ workers5 welfare%
Our visits to the sites were accom'anied b! &,"1 re'resentatives, and, in the case of the aadi!at
+ccommodation 8illa$e 3+8), b! em'lo!ees of 9rookfield Multi'le6 39M), a 'rivate com'an! in
char$e of those facilities% 8isits to the +8 and construction sites lasted about four hours total, but
were 'receded b! len$th! discussions held in the &,"1 office in +bu ,habi, which we feel were
'roductive in settin$ u' a framework for dialo$ue% &he visits were documented on 'hoto and video
b! both Gulf Labor and &,"1% ubse:uentl!, we have mutuall! a$reed to 'ublish an! or all of this
documentation, e6ce't where 3as re:uested b! &,"1 and members of Gulf Labor) it directl!
identifies workers or re'resentatives%
2or ease of readin$, this document is divided into the followin$ sections:
1& Main observations
"& Recommendations
'& (etailed )indings
*& +or,ers in the S*V
-& Living conditions in the S*V
.& +ages and .om/anies in the S*V
(& Recruitment fees
0& Louvre and Guggenheim sites
)& .oncerns beyond the S*V# including 123*(
G& Overvie4 of cam/ conditions in the 3*0
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
Main Observations5
+ view of the aadi!at +ccomodation 8illa$e from the a''roach road%
&he official name for the labor accommodation site 3+8) on aadi!at "sland is ;villa$e,< not the
more commonl! used ;cam'%< 8illa$e life is often what is left behind in the $reat mi$rations for
work all over the world, and this name seems to invoke a re*creation of communit!% +ctuall!
$eneratin$ a sense of communit! and well*bein$ for thousands of mi$rant workers is a challen$in$
task, and an! effort to do so is u' a$ainst 'revailin$ conditions in the /+0% "n man! res'ects the
+8 is similar to other labor cam's. it is tem'orar! housin$ tied to a construction 'ro-ect, hostin$
tem'orar! workers while the! are em'lo!ed on aadi!at "sland 'ro-ects, where onsite su'ervisors
are still addressed as ;cam' bosses,< and where a broader national*level conte6t of indebted mi$rant
labor remains in 'lace%
&he road leadin$ to the +8 travels for a dust! two kilometers be!ond a check*'oint, be!ond which
casual visitors or members of the 'ublic are not 'ermitted% &he aadi!at construction site itself acts
as a $iant buffer between the +8 and 'ublic roads and services% &he thousands of workers in the
+8 are thus isolated, and it was our im'ression that this inaccessibilit! contained and 'roduced
other forms of seclusion that are 's!cholo$ical, economic, le$al, and $endered in nature% &he +8
is ==%==> male in its 'o'ulation% "t is desi$ned to last for 20*odd !ears, the build*out 'eriod for
&,"15s aadi!at "sland 'ro-ects% "t is not, and will not be, inte$rated sociall! with the cit! or the
even the island areas it serves% 2or these reasons, we do not believe that the +8 should be
considered an ideal for workers housin$ in the re$ion, or elsewhere%
?evertheless, there are concrete benefits that the +8 offers to workers on aadi!at% +mon$ these
are 'ro6imit! to worksites 3avoidin$ 1*@ hour commutes that are common elsewhere), and $enerall!
modern and clean facilities conformin$ to minimum international standards% &here are &8 rooms, a
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
well*manicured cricket 'itch, a $!mnasium, a librar!, 'ool tables, and other amenities rarel! seen in
accommodation for mi$rant workers% Gulf Labor(s main concern is that such com'onents of
'ro$ress and comfort be directl! linked to workers5 welfare and well*bein$% Our visits allowed us a
small window to evaluate some of these concerns, and to talk to some workers about them% Our
conversations in the +8 were limited in time and sco'e, but we list below some of the chief
concerns that emer$ed from them:
+ages on Saadiyat Island remain very lo4% 4orkers we met, includin$ those contracted to the
Louvre +bu ,habi, aadi!at 8illas, and other &,"1 'ro-ects, were earnin$ basic salaries in the
ran$e of AB0 C =00 +0, a month 31## C 24B /, a month)% "n Mussafah, an area of +bu ,habi
which hosts man! labor cam's, em'lo!ees who had worked on ?D/5s aadi!at cam'us cited
fi$ures as low as B#2 +0, a month% 4ith overtime, this could add u' to between 1000 C 1200 +0,
a month, for 10*12 hours of work, si6 da!s a week% Overall, wa$es inside the +8 were not better
than those for com'arable em'lo!ment in construction elsewhere in the /+0% "t was also re'orted
to us that a much 'ubliciEed 20> 'a! raise, announced b! the lar$e man'ower firm +rabtec after
strikes b! its workers in Ma! 201@ 3includin$ man! in the +8 workin$ on the Louvre) has not
materialiEed% Low 'a! was the sin$le lar$est com'laint we encountered in talkin$ to workers
throu$hout our visits%
*ll the t4enty or so 4or,ers 4e s/o,e to at the S*V had /aid recruitment fees% ?o one had !et
been reimbursed these fees as re:uired b! &,"15s current 0m'lo!ment 7ractices 7olic! 3077)% +s a
result, for e6am'le, a 9an$ladeshi worker who had been in the /+0 for three !ears, and had been
workin$ on aadi!at for two of those !ears, had still not 'aid off his ori$inal debt% 4orkers in the
+8 and on off*island sites described the avera$e time needed to 'a! off their recruitment debt as
two !ears, which is also the term of the work visa% &his combination of hi$h initial debt and low
wa$es, alon$ with de'endenc! on a s'onsor for renewin$ the two*!ear visa, $enerates intense
'ressure on workers, es'eciall! in the first few !ears after leavin$ their home countries%
6he com/laints redressal system at the S*V 4as not /erceived to be functioning very 4ell%
4orkers claimed that when the! call the hotline, there is no immediate feedback, and the! do not
see res'onsive action takin$ 'lace swiftl!% 4ides'read 'roblems were re'orted with the :ualit! of
the +8 food, and with sewa$e leakin$ from the u''er bathrooms onto those below% &he latter was
:uite a serious matter, since a number of workers said the! were unable to take clean baths%
2acilities mana$ement said that the 'roblem of leaka$e was bein$ dealt with, but that similar
'roblems arose from time to time due to corrosion, s'ecificall! from the t!'e of construction of
these tem'orar! buildin$s% &he food issue was somethin$ the! described as ;com'le6< and related
to different tastes of the workers% 9oth &,"1 and 9M seemed sincere in tr!in$ to fi6 infrastructural
'roblems on the +8 site, but the com'laints 'rocess ma! need to be thou$ht of differentl!, be!ond
merel! re'ortin$ to the facilities mana$ers%
6here are no organi7ed 4or,ers8 grou/s to s/ea, to# and any re/resentative system of
4or,ers coordination is not /ermitted% 4hile it seemed to us that efforts are bein$ made to
address housin$ standards and $eneral well*bein$ in the +8, communication with the workers
seemed to be :uite 'oor% "n the absence of an! formal worker re'resentatives or alternativel!,
workers councils, it will remain difficult to evaluate 'roblems and to $au$e 'ro'erl! if em'lo!ee
needs are bein$ fulfilled%
On our visit to the Louvre site, an en$ineer described to us the 'ainstakin$ detail 3to the millimeter)
involved in the e6ecution of the buildin$5s com'le6 structural 'lan, and assured us that lavish
resources were allocated to meetin$ an! and all technical challen$es involved% imilarl!,
considerable mone! and resources are s'ent on select features of the +8, for e6am'le on
maintainin$ the cricket 'itch in a $reen and trimmed condition% "ndeed, com/anies housing their
4or,ers in the S*V /ay 6(I. on average more /er 4or,er# than that 4or,er is /aid in 4ages&
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
Little fiscal or human attention seems to have been devoted to direct benefits to em/loyees,
such as recruitment debt relief or raised com'ensation levels% 1ommittin$ resources to workers5
'riorities should be on a 'ar with realiEin$ the com'le6it! of the museums( architectural 'lans%
Recommendations5
4hat follows below are recommendations that were discussed or 'ut forward b! us in our meetin$s
with &,"1% Others have been considered and discussed amon$ ourselves since the visits% Gulf
Labor is 'ro'osin$ to collaborate with all 'arties involved in findin$ solutions, and to contribute its
own resources wherever 'ossible, to achieve 'ositive results%
1% "n order to deal with the recruitment debt issue as a historical and on$oin$ 'roblem, 4e
/ro/ose that 4or,ers relocating to Saadiyat to build the Guggenheim should be /aid a
one!time Relocation )ee% &his would cover workers who have been in the countr! for
man! !ears, as well as those newl! incomin$% "t would be an u'front 'a!ment to
com'ensate for the avera$e amount of recruitment fee, visa and fli$ht costs that are almost
universall! known to have been 'aid b! workers, which as 'er our current information
would be about 2000 /,% &his would hel' relieve workers of the immediate burden of
debt, a condition 3sometimes described b! informed commentators as bonded labor) which
under'ins their e6treme vulnerabilit!% 4orkers buildin$ the re$ion5s most lu6urious and
lar$e*scale develo'ments should be able to offer their labor without this e6treme 'ressure of
indebtedness%
2% 4e understand that the above recommendation is no 'anacea for the issue of recruitment
fees in $eneral% &o ensure that such a move does not have a ne$ative effect on future
recruitin$ or fees in home countries, we have three immediate su$$estions:
+) .ontractors res/onding to the Guggenheim and other museum tenders should
describe their recruiting /rocesses in detail 3as 'er their own 077)% Gu$$enheim
contractors should set a 'recedent b! which information on the recruitment chain 3i%e%
which recruiters the! are em'lo!in$ and which sub*contractors the recruiters are usin$)
should be shared with recommended $rou's in home countries to ensure that
recruitment abuse is minimiEed%
9) *n authoritative survey should be underta,en of the recruitment and relocation
histories of all workers at +8 immediatel!, so that this 'rocess can be ma''ed and
made $ras'able for the first time% &his would reveal 'atterns and concentrations of
abuse, as well as throw u' o''ortunities for further miti$ations, not least to hel' us
consolidate on the Relocation 2ee reimbursementF'a!ment recommendation above%
&his research should be enhanced b! the inclusion of a main contractor on aadi!at,
such as +rabtec, en$a$in$ in or enablin$ the same research%
1) "n common with other ma-or contractors in the /+0 3+l ?abooda and +&+ 0scon
to name two) the 099 should include a re:uirement that main contractors
establish their o4n recruitment agencies in the country of origin for their incomin$
workforce% &his is not a 'erfect solution but it does dramaticall! reduce the scale of
'otential e6'loitation and increase the trans'arenc! of the 'rocess%
&aken to$ether, these are wa!s in which the transnational 'roblem of recruitment fees can be
addressed 'ositivel!, in coo'eration with or$aniEations in home countries and international
ones such as the "LO with a shared interest in 'reventin$ the abuse of workers% Gulf Labor
has alread! been in touch with or$aniEations that are willin$ and able to undertake further
studies for develo'in$ a''ro'riate a''roaches and remedies% + list of these $rou's and
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
or$aniEations, in ?e'al, "ndia, 7akistan, 9an$ladesh and other relevant countries will be
made available to &,"1 b! Ma! 1Bth%
@% 6(I. should encourage the formation of 4or,ers councils 4ithin the S*V& 4orkers
themselves are well e:ui''ed to assess their welfare needs and how the! mi$ht be best
addressed% &hese councils, o'eratin$ without fear of recrimination, should be trusted to
re'resent workers5 concerns and $rievances and to look out for their $eneral welfare% &he
current $rievance redressal s!stem is too to'*down, and it does not a''ear to have $enerated
much trust within the +8% 2urther, Gulf Labor would like to be in contact with a &,"1
official that is directl! res'onsible for workers welfare% "n our view, neither 9rookfield
Multi'le6 nor &,"1(s 7ublic Relations team currentl! has this role% 4e have been informed
that there are &,"1 em'lo!ees who are doin$ research on workers welfare and recruitment,
and that studies have been conducted on how conditions can be im'roved% 4e would like to
see these studies, and be in contact with the em'lo!ees who conduct them%
4% 9ased on what we found G that not all workers en$a$ed on &,"1 'ro-ects are even livin$
in the +8G 9rice4aterhouse .oo/ers (94.%# 6(I.8s commissioned com/liance
monitor# should be encouraged to amend its auditing methodologies& "nterviews
conducted onl! in the +8 and in contractors5 offices 3both heavil! surveilled locations) will
not $arner the fullest or the most :ualitativel! useful information% ?or will this kind of data*
$atherin$ ca'ture the testimon! of workers housed on off*island labor cam's%
B% "n all our interviews, the to'most $rievance e6'ressed b! workers concerned their de'ressed
wa$es% +ccordin$l!, 4e recommend that 6(I. establish a Saadiyat Island living 4age&
+ livin$ wa$e is distinct from the minimum wa$e, which in most locations, is estimated at
the threshold of mere subsistence% Hundreds of munici'alities and other smaller institutions
3universities, air'orts) have ado'ted livin$ wa$es as the standard b! which em'lo!ees can
maintain a safe, decent standard of livin$ within the cost horiEon of an! $iven communit!%
+t this 'oint in time, the methods for calculatin$ livin$ wa$es are :uite mature, and have
been develo'ed b! labor economists on a com'arative international framework% +mon$
other thin$s, a livin$ wa$e would $ive aadi!at workers a basic inde'endence and mobilit!
over how and where the! choose to live in the /+0%
A% +e encourage the /artici/ation of the International Labor Organi7ation (ILO%% 4e
recommend that the Gu$$enheim 2oundation and &,"1 work with the /+0 Ministr! of
Labor to invite the "LO in a multi*stakeholder 'rocess with the $oal of desi$nin$ and
im'lementin$ these and other recommendations%
ome of the structural challen$es facin$ the well*bein$ of mi$rant workers re:uire lon$*term, and
nation*scale, solutions% &hese include the need for collective bar$ainin$ ri$hts, $uarantees of
freedom of movement, and reforms of the s'onsorshi' relationshi'% imilarl!, the challen$e of
inte$ratin$ worker housin$ into the social and 'h!sical fabric of host cities needs to be addressed
seriousl!% ?onetheless, we believe that the 'ro'osals above can miti$ate some of the immediate
'roblems we encountered on and off aadi!at "sland, and the! are relativel! eas! to im'lement%
&,"1 has a uni:ue o''ortunit! to set a model e6am'le for em'lo!ee relations in the re$ion% 9!
followin$ such a 'ath now, we can envisa$e how, in the fullness of time, aadi!at "sland mi$ht be
-ud$ed not -ust for the virtuosit! of its urban and buildin$ desi$ns but also for the humane
conditions afforded its workforce%
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
(etailed )indings
'&* +or,ers in the S*V
+ccordin$ to 9rookfield Multi'le6, there were, at the time of our visit about A000 workers livin$ in
the +8, buildin$ the Louvre and other aadi!at 'ro-ects and infrastructure% +mon$ A000 men there
were onl! 2 women, workin$ in services on site%
&he ver! first $rou' of workers we s'oke to in the +8 was a $rou' watchin$ television in an
otherwise mostl! em't! recreation facilit!% &hese men had been moved to the +8 from Mafra: the
ni$ht before our visit, and had been told about the move at @ 'm on that da!% +fter a mostl!
slee'less ni$ht settin$ u' in new rooms at the +8, these 12B workers had been taken in the
mornin$ to their usual aadi!at 8illas worksite, and had been sent home earl! in the afternoon%
&,"1 informed us that such movements were common at the +8 because different contractors
brin$ in em'lo!ees for short*term work% However, in this case at least, a $rou' of over a hundred
'eo'le who were moved that da! a''ear to have been workin$ on a &,"1 'ro-ect 3&he aadi!at
8illas) while livin$ in +l Iaber com'an!(s accommodations in Mafra: 4orkers5 1it!, about B0
kilometers awa!% &his information was at odds with &,"15s steadfast claim that ever!one workin$
on &,"1 'ro-ects on aadi!at is housed in the +8%
+t an off*island labor cam', we met three em'lo!ees of Robodh 1onstruction, a sub*contractor
workin$ on the t% Re$is Hotel, the Louvre, and ?D/+,% &hese workers had s'ent @@ da!s, two
months and si6 months in the +8 res'ectivel!% "n two of their cases, the! re'orted bein$
;'romoted< out of the +8 b! bein$ made su'ervisors, without an increase in 'a!, so the! could be
moved from the +8 into chea'er and more distant housin$% &he! were housed first in Mussafah
34B minutes awa!) and then +l +in 3more than two hours awa!) while still workin$ on aadi!at
"sland%
+ vast ma-orit! of the workers we s'oke to in our brief visit to the +8 had been there for a few
months, and not !ears% &hus it a''ears that the +8 is more a short*term venue for those who are
workin$ on 'art of a 'ro-ect**on the Louvre(s foundations, for e6am'le**than lon$*term housin$ for
a communit! of workers% "n some cases, as with +l Iaber and Robodh(s workers above, even this
tem'orar! sta! in the +8 while workin$ on a &,"1 'ro-ect does not seem to be $uaranteed%
+t the same time, the +8 o'erates at less than half its 20,000 ca'acit!% +ccordin$ to &,"1 there
have never been more than 14,000 workers there at one time% &his is not because there are onl! that
man! workers activel! en$a$ed on aadi!at% "t is because com'anies do not alwa!s heed &,"1(s
re:uirement 3;obli$ed< is the term in the 077) to house their workers there% &hose com'anies not
contracted b! &,"1 often 'refer not to 'a! to avoid the hi$her accommodations rates at +8, even
thou$h the! are workin$ on aadi!at and are encoura$ed to use the facilit! for 'ro6imit! to the
work sites% More details on the 'ossible reasons for this are in the wa$es section, below%
'&- Living conditions in the S*V
&he first im'ression on a''roachin$ the +8 b! road is of its isolation from the rest of the cit! and
from 'ublic roads% &he +8 is 2 km inland from a check'oint that marks the ed$e of the
construction site, renderin$ an! casualF unannounced a''roach im'ossible% +ccordin$ to &,"1 and
9M, there are hourl! buses that $o to and from the check*'oint, which is the onl! wa! for workers
to travel to the main road and connect to the cit! bus services, outside of travelin$ to work%
&here are two 'rinci'al kinds of accommodation in the +8% Laborers5 accommodation is A 'eo'le
to a room, while foremen and su'ervisors are housed 2 to a room% &he A*'eo'le rooms can be
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
com'ared favorabl! in siEe to rooms in other cam's we have seen% &here are three twin bunk beds
and lockers, but no other furniture% &here is a 'rominent list of what is not allowed inside the room,
includin$ eatin$, cookin$, washin$ and dr!in$, drinkin$ alcohol, and 'orno$ra'h!%
+ room we were shown in the +8 with A beds
+ll meals in the +8 are 'rovided b! the central kitchen, as there is no cookin$ allowed elsewhere%
&he kitchen, like the other central facilities such as the $!m, com'uter room, television rooms, etc%
is well*e:ui''ed% However, durin$ our visit we heard man! com'laints from workers about food%
"ndeed, in +8 this was the first thin$ man! workers wanted to talk about% &hese com'laints ran$ed
from ob-ections to its taste to alle$ations that somethin$ in the food made workers drows!, as a
result of which the! ate ver! little% &here was no wa! for Gulf Labor to verif! these claims or
sam'le the food itself, but we brou$ht them to the notice of &,"1 and 9M officials% &he! noted that
the food was sub-ect to a com'le6 ne$otiation at the +8, as would be e6'ected of different
nationalities and varied cultural diets, but that the! are workin$ to im'rove the food :ualit! overall%
+cross the +8, 7akistani and 9an$ladeshi workers were ;se$re$ated%< "n the wake of strikes b!
+rabtec workers in Ma! 201@ 3the most 'rominent and well*re'orted amon$ the ;man!< strikes that
&,"1 acknowled$es to have affected the facilit!) workers recounted that man! 9an$ladeshi men
were sent home and re'laced b! 7akistani workers% +ccordin$ to them, this was amon$ the factors
that resulted in clashes between the two national $rou's, which turned violent in +u$ust 201@% +fter
these events, 7akistani and 9an$ladeshi workers were ke't se'arate, in a 'olic! that remains in
'lace in the +8 toda!%
,urin$ our visit, a $rou' of workers returned from the Louvre site to the +8% &he! had been
workin$ from #am to A'm, with a one*hour lunch break% + standard work da! is 10 hours,
includin$ 2 hours overtime% One da! a week is off, usuall! 2rida!% &hese workers and others we met
7
Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
in front of the buildin$s had s'ecific com'laints about leakin$ sewa$e water in several lower*level
bathrooms% +ccordin$ to one worker, ;&he vast ma-orit! of us are Muslims% 9ecause of the sewa$e
from above we cannot have a clean bath even before 'ra!ers%< 9M re'orted that some recurrin$
'roblems were related to corrosion and construction flaws in these tem'orar! buildin$s, and that
the! were currentl! fi6in$ the leaka$e 'roblems%
'&. +ages and .om/anies in the S*V
"n our interactions inside the +8, we recorded some of the base monthl! salaries as re'orted b!
workers:
1ar'enter, workin$ on aadi!at 8illas: AB0 +0, 31## /,)
Louvre worker: #B0 +0, 320B /,)
Louvre infrastructure worker: J00 +0, 321J /,)
&hree*!ear veteran of +8, worked on infrastructure 'ro-ects: JB0 +0, 32@1 /,)
&,"1 did not allow us to distribute :uestionnaires to workers, and we do not have more detailed
data on wa$es in the +8% 9ut such statements, combined with those from more detailed off*island
interviews with men who had worked recentl! on ?D/ +bu ,habi, the t% Re$is hotel and the
aadi!at 8illas 3the last two bein$ &,"1 'ro-ects), led us to conclude that base salaries are in a
ran$e from BB0 +0, to about =00 +0, at the ma6imum, for $eneral buildin$ trades such as
steelworker, mason, etc% 1ombined with overtime, which on aadi!at 'ro-ects is hi$hl! controlled
and seems to be mandator! 3not voluntar!), the net salar! of the vast ma-orit! of workers is from
1100 *1200 +0, a month 3@00 C @20 /, a month)% alaries are 'aid electronicall!, and these
da!s, $enerall! on time%
Onl! after clearin$ their debts, and deductin$ 'ersonal costs such as 'hone and h!$iene costs, are
workers able to send mone! back to their home countries% am'le remittances to 9an$ladesh were
about 1B,000 &aka, or to 7akistan a similar amount in Ru'ees, which is less than /, 200% "n man!
home countries, skilled construction workers could earn a similar amount, or better, while em'lo!ed
in urban areas% 9ut obviousl! there are still man! who come to the /+0 for the sliver of advanta$e
in savin$s which the! can eke out% ?ot havin$ man! e6'enses of their own, combined with the
savin$s from livin$ in a cam' without famil!, becomes an additional advanta$e for some% Man!
mi$rant workers are 'aid far less than the! were 'romised b! recruitment a$encies%
?otwithstandin$ conditions elsewhere, this does not :ualif! as a livin$ wa$e in +bu ,habi, the
richest and most e6'ensive of the 0mirates, where 'er ca'ita G,7 of citiEens is estimated at more
than /, 100,000 a !ear%
+ccordin$ to an 077 com'liance officer we interviewed, com'anies housin$ their workers in the
+8 have to 'a! &,"1 42 +0, 'er da! 'er ordinar! worker, and AA +0, 'er da! 'er foreman*
level worker% &hese would be the res'ective tariffs for A*in*a*room or 2*in*a*room accommodations%
"t is notable that this amount is more than the avera$e wa$es 'aid to a worker% &hus &,"1 is askin$
com'anies, such as +l Iaber, +l 2uttaim 1arrilion, +rabtec, and their man! smaller labor su''liers
who are active on aadi!at "sland, to 'a! more for these facilities than the! 'a! the workers% Given
the choice, contractors on non*&,"1 'ro-ects, notabl! ?D/+,, 'refer to house workers elsewhere,
and these other cam's are located as far awa! as ,ubai and +l +in** a minimum 2*hour one*wa!
commute% &his realit!, that the fla$shi' housin$ 'ro-ect at +8 is at best onl! half*full, needs
serious thou$ht from &,"1 and the com'anies that are workin$ on aadi!at "sland%
'&( Recruitment fees
0ver! worker we met in the +8 and at off*island sites had 'aid recruitment fees to come to the
/+0% 9an$ladeshi workers on the ?D/+, sites re'orted 'a!in$ between 1 lakh 20 thousand, and
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
@ lakhs in fees 31B4B /, to @JA4 /,)% "n the +8, a worker who had come from Ra-asthan in
"ndia three months a$o, 'aid AB,000 "ndian ru'ees 310#J /,) to an a$ent, a'art from his visa and
travel costs% 7akistani workers in Mussafah re'orted 'a!in$ between J0,000 and 200,000 each 3J20
/, to 20B0 /,)% &here is no difference between workers currentl! in the +8 and other workers
outside, in terms of recruitment fees% + &,"1 official who did not wish to be named, observed: ;"f
there is a worker who said the! have not 'aid a recruitment fee, " would not believe him%<
i6 9an$ladeshi workers whom we met in the +8 while the! were 'la!in$ carrom all said that
the! had taken loans with famil! land as collateral @*B !ears a$o in order to 'a! recruiters% One of
them who had arrived in the /+0 three !ears a$o cate$oricall! said that he had not !et been able to
'a! his loan back !et and would lose his land% +ccordin$ to an off*island interview with two
?e'alese workers who had worked on ?D/+,, three or four out of 10 workers lose their land as
the! are unable to 'a! the debt back in time%
Recruitment debt is a 'ervasive and on$oin$ 'roblem that is reco$niEed b! all 'arties in this
situation% Det it seems to be an inte$ral com'onent of the mi$rant worker s!stem% 4ho would work
for such low wa$es for two !ears, unless to 'a! off a debt that had entra''ed the lands and
livelihoods of their familiesK
'&0 6he Louvre and Guggenheim sites
On 20th March 2014, Gulf Labor members were taken to visit the Louvre construction site, and also
the Gu$$enheim site% &he visit demonstrated the scale of the en$ineerin$ challen$es that &,"1 was
encounterin$ while constructin$ these buildin$s%
&his visit also showed us that, des'ite the Gu$$enheim 2oundation(s 'ersistent claim that ;the
museum is not bein$ built at the moment,< a $ood deal of work has alread! $one into its foundation
'ilin$s and the massive surroundin$ infrastructure without which the buildin$ will not stand% &heir
statements also belie the fact that as tenders for the Gu$$enheim +bu ,habi have been floated in
October last !ear, workers are e6'ected to be hired b! the a''ointed contractors b! summer this
!ear% &he conditions of work and housin$ on the museum sites are bein$ determined ri$ht now%
7ilin$s and earthwork at the Gu$$enheim site, 20th March 2014
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
'&) Related sites and issues beyond the S*V# including 123*(
Members of Gulf Labor also visited other work and housin$ sites around +bu ,habi, ,ubai and
har-ah% 4e were able to record a number of interviews with workers% ome of these workers had
been en$a$ed on &,"15s aadi!at 'ro-ects but had not alwa!s lived in the +8% 1learl!, &,"1 is
not $ettin$ full! accurate information on where workers are bein$ housed% ince 7w1 3&,"15s
com'liance monitor) onl! interviews workers in the +8 and at their em'lo!er5s aadi!at offices,
its audits are not ca'turin$ the full sco'e of the workforce, or the 'otential 077 violations that occur
in off*island sites%

"n this section we focus on ?D/+, workers, because man! of our off*island interviewees had been
en$a$ed in buildin$ the universit!5s new aadi!at cam'us% ?D/+, is not a &,"1 'ro-ect, and so
its workers are not re:uired to be housed in the +8% "ts tatement of Labor 8alues was established
'rior to &,"1(s 077, and in some res'ects, is stron$er% +ccordin$l!, there are $ood reasons to
e6'ect that man! of the concerns we documented from these interviews of those who worked on the
aadi!at cam'us could also a''l! to workers on the &,"1 'ro-ects%
?D/+, is bein$ delivered under the aus'ices of &amkeen, on behalf of +bu ,habi5s 06ecutive
+ffairs +uthorit!% Mubadala, an investment vehicle of the $overnment, is the develo'er res'onsible
for desi$n im'lementation and construction% Our understandin$ is that workers are all su''osed to
be housed in O'eratives 8illa$es 1, 2 and 4 located on Das "sland or in the "1+, Residential 1it!
located in Mussafah, +bu ,habi% However, we found workers housed in substandard facilities
elsewhere, as have other inde'endent investi$ators from Human Ri$hts 4atch and the forei$n 'ress%
"n contrast to the com'liance re'orts that 7w1 has delivered to &,"1, the re'orts of ?D/+,5s
labor monitors, overseen b! Mott Mac,onald, have recorded ver! few violations of ?D/+,5s
labor standards% +mon$ the conflicts of interest associated with Mott Mac,onald5s a''ointment as
monitor, it is worth notin$ the L2# billion contract awarded to the firm b! the +bu ,habi 4ater and
0lectricit! +uthorit! to oversee the develo'ment of water and electricit! s!stems on aadi!at
"sland% Mott Mac,onald mentions visits to the Das "sland and "1+, facilities in its re'orts, and we
assume that the auditors have not ventured be!ond these cam's% "n the course of our s'ot visits to a
cam' in +l MuoE in ,ubai and to the 9N Gulf cam' in Mussafah, we found and s'oke to workers
who had been, or were still, en$a$ed on the ?D/+, 'ro-ect% "n the course of our interviews with
these workers and with other local sources we recorded the followin$ violations of ?D/+,5s
Labor tandards%

1) ?o worker was in 'ossession of his 'ass'ort%
2) ome workers did not have a written contract re$ardin$ hours and wa$es%
@) Overtime 3amountin$ to 11* or 12*hour work da!s, and sometimes lon$er) was described
as mandator!, not voluntar!%
4) ub*contractors 3such as Robodh and +l Re!ami) had failed to 'a! wa$es in a timel!
fashion, and were in arrears b! several months%
B) 0m'lo!ers had not 'aid recruitment fees%
A) ome workers were housed in substandard cam's, and some had endured lon$ work
commutes 3u' to three hours)%
#) Man! of the em'lo!ees en$a$ed in work sto''a$es 3a four*hour strike b! +l Re!ami
workers in Iune, and a lar$er two*da! strike in +u$ust b! 9N Gulf workers housed in Das
"sland and Iebel +li) were terminated and de'orted without an! due 'rocess% &hese
summar! actions a''ear to be in violation of ?D/+,5s tatement of Labor 8alues that
;no worker shall be sub-ect to harassment, intimidation or retaliation in their efforts to
resolve work dis'utes%<
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
J) 4hile food allowances had been sli$htl! increased in res'onse to the +u$ust strike,
subcontractors5 additional 'romises of salar! increases had not been ke't%
'&G Overvie4 of cam/ conditions in the 3*0
4e found a consistenc! in conditions across workers that we met. low*'a!, heav! recruitment fee
debts, lon$ workin$ and commutin$ hours, abuses relatin$ to relocation and vacation costs
includin$ air tickets which com'anies are su''osed to 'a! but workers do, lateness of 'a!,
com'laints about costs and :ualit! of food when included in salariesF benefits, isolation and
e6clusion from societ! and lack of access to 'ublic s'aces, difficulties in 'ursuin$ le$itimate
$rievances 3includin$ len$th of 'rocess, re:uirement for 'h!sical 'resence and 'a!ment for
translations into +rabic), and a culture of buck*'assin$ amon$st contractin$ em'lo!ers% uch
conditions were encountered in all the labor cam's we visited in har-ah, ,ubai and +bu ,habi,
hostin$ men from 7akistan, "ndia, ?e'al and 9an$ladesh who had either arrived in recent weeks or
had been workin$ there for u' to ten or fifteen !ears%
+l a-aa 3har-ah) was the most isolated industrial area and labor cam's district we visited% "t is
surrounded b! an im'ressive, newl!*built infrastructure of roads and utilities for servin$ the nearb!
air'ort and to connect to 2u-airah on the eastern coast, but otherwise has a derelict and abandoned
feelin$, located as it is some thirt! kilometers from the cit!% &he doEens of cam's here border the
desert and most interior roads are un'aved% ,es'ite the $eo$ra'hic isolation, men can socialiEe
'ublicl! in cafeterias and small sho's, can cook and sell food, and walk to 'ublic trans'ort in wa!s
that are im'ossible in the hi$h*securit! containment of the +8%
7eo'le walk back to their cam's in +l a-aa on 2rida!, a holida!
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
+l MuoE 3,ubai) and Mussafah 3+bu ,habi) are both lar$e industrial areas with labor cam's
inters'ersin$ anon!mous industrial blocks% &here are su'ermarkets and cafeteriasFrestaurants nearb!
where we were able to meet with workers% &he ed$es of lar$e arterial roads dividin$ the cam's
a''eared to be the onl! 'ublic s'aces available for workers to con$re$ate 3other than mos:ues) and
socialiEe. i%e% to be 'art of a societ! broader than their own cam'% ;4orkers 1it!< is the 'referred
nomenclature in Mussafah, and these new urban*scale housin$ 'ro-ects are nevertheless far from
and have ver! little to do with ;the cit!< of +bu ,habi%
+ 'anoramic view of "1+,, a new workers ;cit!< in Mussafah, +bu ,habi
&hou$h we were not able to $ain access to the interiors of the accommodations at Mafra: 4orkers
1it! nos% 1 and 2 3+bu ,habi), we were able to take a $uided walk throu$h this ;cit!< itself, which
is to sa! within its secured 'erimeters% "mmediatel! outside the $uarded $ates was a lar$e
su'ermarket and $!m% "nside the cam' was a lar$e mos:ue, and more evidence of efforts to create
a :uasi*urban feel: wide streets, dotted with occasional retail outlets, some s'aces for $atherin$s
amidst the $ridded la!out with its 'avements and street li$htin$% 4hile the 'otential ca'acit! of
Mafra: 4orkers 1it! and the +8 is, in both cases, more than 20,000 men, the former uses far less
tem'orar! buildin$ materials and occu'ies a lar$er area on the $round%
Iebel +li "ndustrial +rea 1 3,ubai) contains about fift! labor cam's of var!in$ siEes and an
a$$re$ate 'o'ulation lar$er than the +8 or Mafra:% Here a$ain the cam's occu'! a section of
Iebel +li5s industrial :uarters and are isolated from an! other urban connection% However, within
the cam' area there are several su'ermarkets, mas-ids, and some cafesFrestaurants in addition to
recreational s'ace outside the loosel! contained cam' areas, thou$h not much more% &hou$h it is a
dust!, $rim! 'lace, its inhabitants are free to come and $o be!ond their immediate cam'*blocks and
can be seen $atherin$ in $rou's or sittin$ alone at dusk throu$hout the cam's% Overall this felt like a
more beni$n, sociable environment in s'ite of its ne$lected a''earance, and the freedom of
movement was in contrast with the e6cessive focus on ;securit!< in some of the more heavil!
fenced*in and remote locations, like the +8 or Iebel +li5s lar$er labor cam's% 7articularl! evident
in such 'laces was the e6istence of street life and in the sociable ;owned< s'aces of cafes and
restaurants as well as in the informal, or ;hidden,< corners of the smaller cam's% &he advanta$es of
the latter must be wei$hed a$ainst the cleaner accommodation and $reen lawns at +8%
4e visited a newl!*built labor cam' in Iebel +li where a construction com'an! alon$ with some
architects is makin$ attem'ts to im'rove conditions in its new workers housin$ buildin$. with lar$er
rooms, hi$her ceilin$s, and natural as well as machine ventilation in rooms arran$ed around central
ventilation shafts% &hese kinds of im'rovements need to be combined with the efforts to create
;'eo'le*friendl!< environments, allowin$ for more li$ht and air, and the 'reservation of informal
social s'aces and access to the 'ublic realm%
One wa! to work towards that $oal at aadi!at itself is to include, in the lon$ term, more 'ermanent
schemes of workers housin$, not centraliEed but rather scattered throu$hout the 2# s:uare kilometer
area% &his could be a brid$e towards a more health! and -ust societ! to come, in which construction
and maintenance workers mi$ht live amon$st communities of more 'ermanent residents, either in
state*'rovided social housin$ or in rented or other accommodation of their choosin$%
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Gulf Labor: Observations and Recommendations, March 2014
+ view of the com'ound in a cam' in Mussafah where ?D/+, workers live
Overall, what is cruciall! necessar! to address is the removal from view and understandin$, of those
men who are buildin$ the /+0, from its citiEenr! and its visitors% 1urrentl! se$re$ated in invisible
and unacknowled$ed circumstances, workers are im'erce'tible to those 'o'ulations whose
infrastructural needs the! are servin$% "f we withhold from su$$estin$ that 0mirati homes, tower
blocks and museums should be built in the midst of workers5 cities 3althou$h that ma! be the one
wa! to achieve a 'ro'erl! mi6ed, health! societ!), we must insist that mi$rant workers be
reco$niEed as full 'artici'ants of the broader societ! the! live and work in%
13