DUBAI, 26 February 2007 — With an aim of improving the living conditions of laborers, the Dubai civic authority has banned the practice of housing laborers within industrial sites, workshops and warehouse premises in line with international standards of safety, environment and health.
“The decision is based on the directives of Sheikh Mohammad ibn Rashid, UAE’s vice president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai. The decision is also an outcome of the observations and recommendations submitted by a follow-up committee on environmental and health conditions in labor accommodation. This follows a series of surprise visits to random industrial sites, workshops and warehouses in the city,” said Hussain Lootah, acting director general of Dubai municipality.
Lootah said that certain companies illegally accommodate laborers within their industrial premises, ignoring the minimum safety standards and specifications. “We have issued orders to eliminate such violations within 90 days,” he added.
According to the order issued yesterday, companies should provide alternative accommodation in permitted areas. Failure to comply with the directive will result in serious penalties ranging from fines and disconnection of services to legal action leading to closure.
The UAE is currently undergoing a gigantic construction boom and nearly all of the more than 500,000 construction workers in the country are migrants, mostly from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Many companies provide accommodation in shanty labor camps. Recently, some laborers resorted to organizing strikes and demonstrations to pressure companies to provide better accommodation with basic amenities. Most laborers secure work in the UAE by taking loans from recruiting agencies in home countries and large portion of their wages go toward repayment of such loans. Wages of construction workers range from $110 to $250 per month.
Many recent protests had centered on demands for better wages, accommodation and health care. Small-scale contractors want to avoid additional costs and are so trying to wriggle out from their responsibility to take care of their work force by providing proper accommodation, health care and other facilities.
First Labor City Ready
Dubai Industrial City yesterday announced the completion of its first labor city in the Base Metal Zone with a capacity to accommodate 12,500 supervisors and groups of workers across Dubai Industrial City and Dubai.
The labor city, which comprises of 14 buildings, is the first of seven that are planned for construction at a cost of AED 1.6 billion. The remaining six cities will be launched this year and early 2008.
Rashed Al-Ansari, chief executive officer of Dubai Industrial City, said, “The completion of the first Labor City is part of a larger master plan for the industrial township to accommodate the needs of the labor force in Dubai Industrial City for affordable and self sustained community living.”
Situated on the Emirates Road, the self-contained labor cities, when completed, will spread across a total land area of 14 million square feet and have 87,500 beds.
