• Shared safety alerts – members submit information about health and safety incidents in their businesses and these are shared on a weekly basis with all members. These alerts detail what the issue was and what measures should be put in place to prevent it. The safety alerts have been on topics such as ‘Safeguards against fires and explosions during construction’, ‘Amputation due to miscommunication’ and ‘Kitchen burn injury’.
• Best practice alerts – again these are shared by members of the initiative, but focus on sharing good practice that prevents H&S issues. Topics have included: ‘Communicating alerts effectively’, ‘The Don’t Walk by Campaign’ and the ’30 minute bin it – housekeeping campaign’.
• Database of statistics – driven by a lack of reliable data from other sources, 16 of the main contractors of BSU now submit their accident information to the database on a weekly basis. There is a full set of data for the year 2008 which shows interesting trends in accidents and lost time injuries.
• Focus Groups – working groups which develop best practice guidance for members on key H&S issues such as falls from height and labour camp accommodation.

Information about all of the above can be found on the BSU website, along with useful reference information and tools such as H&S legislation, safety posters and risk assessments for key machinery/processes in construction. In the spirit of sharing and free access, anyone can sign up to the website to review this information.

With a general absence in the UAE of capacity building partnerships to tackle labour standards issues, Impactt applauds the work of BSU. While there is surely more work to be done inside member companies in terms of addressing health and safety issues, at least they have publicly committed to taking steps to do so and are working together to achieve a common goal.  

The challenge to the initiative is to spread its reach further and recruit those companies who have not yet understood the business benefits of good health and safety. Graeme Mc Caig, Chairman of BSU (and General Manager of Dutco Balfour Beatty) is a firm believer and champion of this case: “By implementing an effective H&S management system in your business, you will make more money… When you invest in H&S you will get a return”.

Currently BSU does not engage directly with workers and relies upon a top down approach for communicating the shared safety and best practice alerts. To ensure the full extent of its good work is being realised, BSU should consider involving workers in the initiative and harnessing their knowledge. Our experience from other industries shows that workers have some of the best and most cost effective ideas for tackling health and safety issues!

As you will have seen from our blogs of the past few weeks, the attention in the UAE on labour standards for migrant construction workers has been immense.

There was a depth of discussion and debate about labour standards over the three days, but the issues that came up repeatedly included:

• What does CSR mean in the UAE and what are the responsibilities of business and government?
• Conditions in accommodation and welfare camps and how to maintain reasonable standards
• Health and safety for construction workers on site
• Training and skills development, especially in times of economic crisis
• Repatriation of workers who have lost their jobs

While discussion is good and necessary, it was great to see the Ministry of Labour announce  two initiatives that will directly impact the lives of workers – the development of a central electronic payment system and internationally recognised minimum standards for worker accommodation across Dubai.

In terms of private sector initiatives, the presentations (x 3!) from Build Safe UAE stood out as a shining light of practical collaboration to address health and safety issues. While the presentations at the GCC summit from the Labour Solidarity Center and the Builder and Wood Workers International union, ensured that the call for free unions and worker representation was also made.

The General Consul of India in Dubai made an important contribution to the debate at the GCC conference by talking about his office’s efforts to prepare workers pre-departure from their home country, monitor and support them whilst they are here and ensure they are returned safely. His presentation can be found here.

The dialogue underway at this week’s conferences reflects the changing tone of the Ministry of Labour here and the recognition by businesses that something has to be done. In Impactt’s perspective, there were two overriding themes, both of which have proved critical in addressing poor labour conditions in other countries:

• The importance of partnership – between business and the governments of both host and sending countries.
• The need for ongoing transparency and openness – admitting the problems and discussing the solutions in an open forum is a new thing in the UAE and we need to see more of it!

Impactt applauds all actors in the UAE for taking the first steps on the road to improved labour standards. We also encourage them to look at the work being done in the US and the UK, who face similar issues, and learn from their experiences – and mistakes!

Author: Jaana Quaintance

Low taxes and political stability have made this an attractive location for an increasing number of manufacturers in the past 10 years. The key products being made include cement, building materials, aluminium, fertilisers, foodstuffs, beverages, garments, furniture, plastics, glass, fibreglass and processed metals. Its central location in the Gulf region makes the UAE an ideal sourcing hub for both European and U.S. based purchasing companies. 

However, to date little attention has been given to conditions for workers in these sectors. In our experience they, like the construction industry, use a high proportion of migrant labour from countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. Whilst middle men demanding recruitment fees may be less common according to reported findings, the following issues have been identified:

• Retention of passports by employers
• Low pay and long hours
• False records
• Inadequate maintenance of fire equipment and other H&S facilities
• Outsourcing to smaller units where there is low visibility of conditions

Impactt encourages attention being placed on the conditions for construction workers, because it is certain that action is needed in this area. However, non-construction related industries should be aware that their supply chain here may present them with considerable risk because of poor labour standards.   

Author: Jaana Quaintance

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.

A spokesperson from the Ministry reported on Friday that they are conducting an education programme for migrant workers. This is said to involve both educational seminars in labour camps and the development of a workbook setting out the obligations of employers, what the employee should expect and what action they should do if they are not met.

In addition, the Ministry reported that they are to extend their Indian information campaign about phony recruitment agencies that take advantage of workers in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, where awareness of abuses is low.

Impactt welcomes such initiatives by the Ministry, as they recognise the need to address the gap in information available and accessible to workers. By providing workers with the tools to understand their legal rights in their own language, violations are less likely to occur and where they do, the government is more likely to be aware of them.

By educating people in their home country, before they arrive in the UAE, and monitoring the recruitment process from the outset, the Ministry are tackling some of the problems at source. Overall, this announcement demonstrates that the Ministry has recognised that inspections cannot be the whole answer and is taking a realistic and hands-on approach to improving the lives of Dubai’s thousands of migrant workers.

To strengthen this approach still further, Impactt recommends two further initiatives.  First that the Ministry consult workers to ensure that policies and programmes meet workers needs. Second that the ministry provide a free, independent and widely publicised whistle-blowing helpline in workers’ own languages so workers can report abuses without fear of reprisal, and the government can act quickly to improve the situation.

After last year’s Primark on the Rack, BBC Panorama has been investigating labour standards again. This time the BBC exposé focuses on the conditions of migrant workers building luxury estates in Dubai. Dubai is a by-word for 1^st world seven-star living, with developments endorsed by footballer Michael Owen, cricketer Andrew Flintoff and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. But behind the façade migrant workers face 3^rd world wages and conditions.

Eighty percent of Dubai’s population are migrants, mainly from the Asian sub-continent, lured to Dubai by employment agents selling the dream of making good money of 1500 dirham (£277.54) a month. But, on arrival, the dream rapidly becomes a nightmare. Wages are less than half the promised level, Panorama exposed workers being paid £120 per month, working 12 hour shifts, six days a week. At these rates workers could only afford to eat meat two or three times a month. And it gets worse, Panorama also found workers working unpaid to repay the £2000 ‘transit fees’ they owe to the employment agency for getting them the ‘dream job’ in the first place.

In labour camps belonging to Arabtec Construction, a sub-contractor to the Jumeriah Golf Estates, Panorama found workers accommodation overflowing with sewage and persuaded a recruitment agent to tell her story

And things are getting worse, the global financial downturn has led to thousands of workers losing their jobs and being sent back to their home countries prematurely. Not only do they often still owe the employment agents their ‘transit fee’, but their home economies are suffering from the reduction in remittances being sent back on a monthly basis.

Impactt’s own experience in Dubai underlines that migrant workers’ jobs are very poor quality.  Far from being better off than they would be at home, the balance has tipped and a migrant job is often the gateway to poverty and despair.   

Clearly something must be done, and we believe that it is possible to make change. There are cost-effective ways for companies using migrant labour to have an impact on basic conditions for workers, particularly in accommodation standards, payment of transit fees and working hours. All that is needed is the determination to change the current business model.

As a first step, it is vital to establish an industry-wide dialogue to harness the power of the construction giants, the contractors and the UAE government to create a new framework for managing migrant labour in Dubai. This should recognise the mutual dependency that exists between the industry and the workers, and be a vehicle for tackling the issues highlighted by the Panorama programme.

The Impactt Middle East and North Africa office opens in Dubai next week and will be constantly surrounded by migrant workers – in fact we overlook two buildings which are under construction. You can expect regular updates on the conditions these workers face and our efforts to improve them.

We are delighted that our network has extended into the Middle East and North African region.  This expansion will be headed up by Jaana Quaintance, Senior Project Manager – Middle East and North Africa, who will be based in Dubai from April 2009. Prior to her move, Jaana has worked in the UK team for four years. She is an experienced project manager and auditor and has lead on strategy development for large corporate clients.

Impactt understands the pressures faced by multinational companies in addressing labour standards issues in global supply chains. The opening of the Dubai office reflects a new trend in global sourcing for our European clients towards Morocco, Egypt and for American clients Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan. Nearly ten million migrant workers, most of them unskilled or semi-skilled, work in Gulf States. An estimated 3.11 million foreign workers are employed in the United Arab Emirates alone. The majority of these are manual and construction workers with jobs vulnerable to falls in demand and a lack of employment protection.

Some of the challenges our clients are facing in the Middle East include: poor health and safety, child labour (particularly in the agricultural sector), racial discrimination, extreme hours and opposition to trade union rights. During the economic downturn other challenges might include workers being dismissed, the widespread payment of an agency fee to secure a job and the low wages earned for long hours.

Morocco and Tunisia are ranked fourth and fifth in terms of garment export value to the EU.  ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder has commented that: “the whole of Moroccan industry, and in particular the textile and clothing sectors must change its working practices, which all too often contravene labour legislation”.

Homeworking and subcontracting are both prevalent resulting in a lack of transparency down the supply chain. Improving transparency is particularly important in countries with known child labour. L’Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT), a key union in Morocco, estimates that between 5-10,000 children between the ages of 8 and 14 work in the artisan carpet industry and between 2,000 and 3,000 work in the export-oriented carpet industry.

Follow Jaana and the issues she is working on in further blogs on the Impactt website.