Asian workers Riot ..Pissed off @ Dubai - The Orange Mane

Spider · 03-22-2006, 06:02 PM

Asian workers riot in Dubai

Wednesday 22 March 2006, 22:10 Makka Time, 19:10 GMT

Labourers at the Burj Dubai tower are paid $4 an hour

Asian workers angered by low salaries and mistreatment have smashed cars and offices in a riot that interrupted construction of what is set to be the world's tallest skyscraper.

The violence, causing an estimated $1 million in damage, illustrated the growing unrest among foreign workers who are the linchpin of Dubai's building boom.

The violence erupted on Tuesday night when some 2500 workers on the Burj Dubai tower and surrounding housing developments chased and beat security officers, then broke into temporary offices and smashed computers and destroyed about two dozen cars and construction machines, witnesses said.

When the labourers, who work for the Dubai-based firm Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, returned to the vast construction site on Wednesday, they issued demands for better pay and employment conditions and refused to return to work.

In a sympathy strike, thousands of workers building a new terminal at Dubai International Airport also downed tools.

"Everyone is angry here. No one will work," said Khalid Farouk, 39, a labourer with Al Naboodah.

Some 2500 workers joined the
strike at the Burj Dubai site
Others said their leaders were asking for pay raises - skilled carpenters on the site earn just $7.60 a day, with labourers getting just $4 a day.

A spokesman for Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke blamed the violence on "misinformation and misunderstanding with some of our workforce".

The spokesman, Mark Way, said the workers' concerns had been addressed and resolved.

Workers' representatives could not be immediately reached to confirm that they were returning to the job.

Slave-like conditions

The riot was a rare outbreak of violence - but it was not the first sign of discontent among the foreign workers who form the overwhelming majority of private sector workers in most of the oil-rich countries of the Gulf.

There have been strikes in recent months in Qatar and Oman. In April, Bangladeshi workers stormed their own embassy in Kuwait, protesting against working conditions that human rights activists have denounced as "slave-like".

Millions of foreign workers have flooded into the Gulf nations, outweighing the population of citizens in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

In Saudi Arabia, foreign workers make up about 21% of the population of more than 26 million, but labour unrest among the workers is rare in the tightly controlled country.

Dubai, one of seven emirates making up the UAE, hosts 300,000 South Asians working on temporary contracts in the construction field alone.
AP
PS I dont read Al Jazeer , but it was linked to Raw Story and the Ap carried it ...........

Spider · 03-22-2006, 06:03 PM

oops forgot the link http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...AF2AB865EB.htm

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 03-22-2006, 08:26 PM

Coming soon to your country.

03-22-2006, 06:02 PM	#1
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	Asian workers Riot ..Pissed off @ Dubai Asian workers riot in Dubai Wednesday 22 March 2006, 22:10 Makka Time, 19:10 GMT Labourers at the Burj Dubai tower are paid $4 an hour Asian workers angered by low salaries and mistreatment have smashed cars and offices in a riot that interrupted construction of what is set to be the world's tallest skyscraper. The violence, causing an estimated $1 million in damage, illustrated the growing unrest among foreign workers who are the linchpin of Dubai's building boom. The violence erupted on Tuesday night when some 2500 workers on the Burj Dubai tower and surrounding housing developments chased and beat security officers, then broke into temporary offices and smashed computers and destroyed about two dozen cars and construction machines, witnesses said. When the labourers, who work for the Dubai-based firm Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, returned to the vast construction site on Wednesday, they issued demands for better pay and employment conditions and refused to return to work. In a sympathy strike, thousands of workers building a new terminal at Dubai International Airport also downed tools. "Everyone is angry here. No one will work," said Khalid Farouk, 39, a labourer with Al Naboodah. Some 2500 workers joined the strike at the Burj Dubai site Others said their leaders were asking for pay raises - skilled carpenters on the site earn just $7.60 a day, with labourers getting just $4 a day. A spokesman for Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke blamed the violence on "misinformation and misunderstanding with some of our workforce". The spokesman, Mark Way, said the workers' concerns had been addressed and resolved. Workers' representatives could not be immediately reached to confirm that they were returning to the job. Slave-like conditions The riot was a rare outbreak of violence - but it was not the first sign of discontent among the foreign workers who form the overwhelming majority of private sector workers in most of the oil-rich countries of the Gulf. There have been strikes in recent months in Qatar and Oman. In April, Bangladeshi workers stormed their own embassy in Kuwait, protesting against working conditions that human rights activists have denounced as "slave-like". Millions of foreign workers have flooded into the Gulf nations, outweighing the population of citizens in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In Saudi Arabia, foreign workers make up about 21% of the population of more than 26 million, but labour unrest among the workers is rare in the tightly controlled country. Dubai, one of seven emirates making up the UAE, hosts 300,000 South Asians working on temporary contracts in the construction field alone. AP PS I dont read Al Jazeer , but it was linked to Raw Story and the Ap carried it ...........

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03-22-2006, 06:03 PM	#2
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	oops forgot the link http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...AF2AB865EB.htm

03-22-2006, 08:26 PM	#3
L.A. BRONCOS FAN Mo' holla fo' yo' dolla! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: In a bunker in an undisclosed location Posts: 52,694	Coming soon to your country.