Report says labourers building resort and museums still paying fees to get jobs while some had wages and passports withheld

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Trade unions and human rights campaigners have criticised the failure of the United Arab Emirates to address the exploitation and mistreatment of migrant workers building a flagship complex of five-star resorts and museums.

The International Trade Union Confederation, Human Rights Watch and campaign group Gulf Labor expressed disappointment after the second annual audit of conditions on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island, where a new Louvre and the world's largest Guggenheim museum are being built.

The report showed that most workers were still paying recruitment fees to secure their jobs, in breach of employment rules, and some had their wages and passports withheld for up to six months (pdf).

The independent audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers noted that the emirate's tourism development and investment company (TDIC), which runs Saadiyat, was failing to uphold several of its own employment policies.

The main construction firms and their subcontractors were also failing to comply with the rules, supposed to protect labourers' rights and health and safety.

Many of the report's findings are consistent with a separate investigation by the Observer, which found workers were left destitute, confined to their quarters or sent home for taking strike action.

Both investigations found that many workers live and work in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, with PwC noting some lacked protective clothing and others complaining they had no drinking water or toilet facilities.

PwC noted some limited improvements in workers' conditions. During their second onsite inspection between July and September, auditors found all workers interviewed had access to their passports, compared with just over half in the spring.

The number of workers who had fees deducted from their wages fell from 25% to zero by the time of the latter inspection.

But the number of workers paying recruitment fees rose from 75% last year to 86% by autumn 2013, and the proportion paying relocation costs rose from 77% to 92%.

Only one of the contractors put in place arrangements to prohibit the payment of recruitment fees in line with the TDIC's employment practices policy (EPP). The TDIC took action against one persistently noncompliant subcontractor.

The accountancy firm also found many workers do not live in the model Saadiyat accommodation village, in apparent breach of the pledge to house them all there.

PwC said workers were relocated following a riot at the village in August "in an attempt to reduce the level of tension and defuse the conflict" and some have yet to return.

The accountancy firm noted it had no remit to investigate the riot, in which 40 people were hospitalised and 25 arrested.

The report stated: "This year's monitoring programme has again highlighted some ongoing challenges associated with implementing and complying with the EPP.

"In particular TDIC needs to ensure there is adequate governance and resource … to fully implement and monitor EPP compliance."

Nicholas McGeehan, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "If TDIC can't fully implement the employment practices policy on Saadiyat Island, what hope for the millions of migrant workers in the UAE who don't enjoy the very basic protection that the EPP provides?"

Guy Mannes-Abbott of Gulf Labor said: "I'm astonished that they have achieved so little given the seriousness of what is routinely taking place.

"The single biggest issue is the truly shocking rise in reports of recruitment fees and relocation costs."

Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said the PwC report showed "no discernible progress" had been made on workers' rights and conditions.

Ali Al Hammadi, TDIC deputy managing director, said in a statement: "We are pleased to note that in the second independent monitoring report, TDIC has made good strides in regards to our EPP.

"We are now studying how to best implement the recommendations outlined with all parties involved in Saadiyat's ongoing construction projects."