Hundreds of unpaid workers rally in Dubai

[struggle4progress]

DUBAI: Hundreds of Asian workers building a luxury development in Dubai demonstrated yesterday to protest over months of unpaid wages, highlighting the plight of low-paid expatriate labourers in the region.

The workers — mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh — marched from the site of the huge Palm Island project to the emirate’s main highway where they rallied for two hours, causing huge traffic jams. The street action — remarkably high profile by local standards — prompted the labour ministry to clamp sanctions on the employer.

Police dispersed the protesters, who were then ferried by bus back to their living quarters — a so-called “camp” where thousands of workers live in makeshift wooden lodgings in a desert area. No violence was reported.

One Indian protester said he and colleagues had not been paid for between five and six months, adding that their monthly wages did not exceed Dh600 ($164). An Arab engineer working on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island taking shape off Dubai’s coast put the number of protesters at around 850. <snip>

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=September2005&file=World_News2005092024846.xml

[JCMach1]

1. Unions are coming to Dubai VERY SOON

Things are changing over here at light speed.