The Effects Of Construction Workers In Dubai

In the first image above, you can see the city of Dubai; there are a few buildings that are still in construction. There is a river that is passing through the city of buildings. Most of the buildings are skyscrapers and have a modern look.

Dubai is famous for its artificial islands, skyscrapers and shopping malls, as a center for business, tourism, luxury homes and extravagant consumption. Since 2002 Dubai has been developing, now it is one of the most visited cities in the world. Since then, over 800 buildings have been constructed (Lobel).

Construction workers come from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines and other countries. The workers are promised good jobs and wages by recruitment agencies, many pay £2000 ($3100) or more

Capitalism is increasingly forcing migrant workers, and workers all around the world, to fight back against the system’s brutal exploitation no matter the odds. Construction workers are feeling exploited by the construction companies they work. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the state provides a great amount of cover for big construction companies and other companies hiring migrant workers. For instance, the UAE, along with other Gulf countries, use the “Kafala” system to keep track of their migrant workers. This system gives private companies the authority to issue work visas to their employees and determine their legal status. Abuses are commonplace as employers are able to threaten their employees with deportation if they do not step in line. Many “neo-liberal” economists consider the cruel policy of the UAE an ideal one where there is no check on capitalist exploitation, while the workers are not allowed basic union and protest rights. Despite this there have been protests and even strikes, which have been brutally crushed, and media is not allowed to report on

For example, the government is developing a huge airport in Dubai that will cost 32.7 billion dollars. As well, the UAE will be hosting the 2020 World Expo thereby creating a huge boom in construction. The capitalists of the Emirates and their state fear any labor disruption as it could inspire the millions of migrant workers in the UAE to take similar action. The possibilities of this kind of large scale movement of migrant workers are very possible. During this new construction boom many workers will come to understand that without their hard labor there would be no profits for the bosses to hoard. The workers will gain confidence and fight. Why the authorities were so eager to resolve the strike becomes obvious viewed through this