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7 Days, (Dubai’s equivalent of the UK’s free morning paper the Metro), reported yesterday that workers employed by Gunal Construction Trading and Industry in Dubai refused to work over the weekend because of the substandard conditions in which they are living.

The article reports that raw sewage was overflowing from septic tanks in workers’ accommodation because the landlord had not paid his electricity bills. One worker reported “Some of us have to sleep on the rooftop to escape from the sweltering heat. There has been no power in the camp for the past week and the conditions are completely disgusting.”

Approximately 500 workers downed tools on Saturday and could be found protesting on the streets of the Al Quoz Industrial Area where the camp is located. Police were called yesterday to get the men back into their camp.

Gunal Construction reported that they had been paying for the electricity, but that the landlord had defaulted on bills to the tune of Dh2 million (£371k). The company also said that they had put an urgent request into the Ministry of Labour to be allowed to install generators at the camp.

Impactt are delighted to see that the workers of Dubai’s construction sites are taking direct action to highlight the poor conditions they are experiencing. With global focus on labour camp conditions in Dubai, as a result of the recent Panorama expose, now is the prime time for workers to be heard.