Dubai houses the world’s largest shopping mall with 1,200 shops and the world’s tallest building — the Burj Khalifa with 164 floors. But is Dubai all about the glamour it promotes? Hidden beneath the city of dreams is an ugly truth.
With millions of tourists visiting the many artificial wonders of Dubai, little take notice of the overworked and underpaid labourers living on the outskirts. Workers mainly fly in from Pakistan and India. This surely comes as no surprise. According to an investigative report published by the BBC, workers under these conditions can still earn more than they do in their own countries. In the meantime they have some left overs to send to their families.
Workers from the poorest towns and villages are prey to employment agencies who promise them opportunities. Workers who are already too poor send up the little land they own or personal belongings to pay an average fee of 2,300 for their passage to the Promised Land. Others who have no land take out loans. But what meets them is not just a few discrepancies hidden between the lines.
In a country where such shanty living conditions are hidden from the public eye it is challenging for journalists to investigate. Ben Anderson from BBC reports how workers only spoke to them under anonymity. Once in Dubai they did not get paid the salaries they were promised. Workers felt manipulated and used but had no other choice to start working in the scorching Dubai sun.
It is reported that workers earn an average of 150EU a month a for a six day week with 12 hours of labour a day. Some workers are lucky enough to get paid 0.60 per hour for overtime. Of course, authorities reported that they only paid their workers the fair amount for their input.
Workers enjoy the privilege of free accommodation in overcrowded camps with poor ventilation. Worker’s quarters have no proper sewage system and this leads to very poor hygiene conditions for workers.
The question comes easy: Why don’t they return back to their families? When they return those who lent them the money to get there in the first place will come asking for it back plus interest. These men don’t have such money and are sent to prison. In addition, some employees especially during the dark days of the recession spent four months without receiving their salaries. But worst of all, most men had their passports taken on their arrival in the "Land of Gold.’
Dubai has been described as “The City of Dreams” and “Disneyland for Adults” but most of all it is an illusion that feigns reality. From artificial islands to artificial skiing slopes, Dubai is often deemed as a holiday destination for the adventurous traveller. While there on holiday little do we think about those men in blue overalls working tirelessly praying for their escape back into the loving arms of their families.
