Dubai business

Labourers protest unfair treatment in Dubai

Almost 200 labourers gathered outside Dubai Courts yesterday as they went on strike to complain about the poor treatment they say they receive at the hands of their employers. The men, who all work for the same construction company, gathered at 8am for the sit-in protest and pledged to stay there until someone listened to their demands.
“We are here demanding an increase to our salaries, especially after the big increase in the price of everything here. Life has become so expensive here yet our salaries have remained the same,” one 33-year-old Indian labourer told 7DAYS yesterday morning. “We are absolutely against some of the things our company is doing. They are cutting dhs20 from our salary claiming it’s for the water we use. It’s unacceptable.”
Another man added: “If we work overtime we are paid extra, but if we refuse they dock ours wages. It’s unfair.” Policemen surrounded the men as they were worried that some would grow frustrated and turn violent, but there were no reports of any trouble. The head of the Labour Court, Judge Abdull Qader Mosa, went out to talk to the labourers, saying he would speak to their spokesmen and advised them to leave as mass demonstrations are illegal.
The judge then met with three representatives, listened to the issues and advised them on how to go about tackling them.
“They said their company had seized their labour cards,” a court official said. After two hours the men left the area, but said they would be talking to the Labour Ministry about their problems. “We just want our rights. We are human also,” one labourer said. Almost 200 labourers gathered outside Dubai Courts yesterday as they went on strike to complain about the poor treatment they say they... more

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