Exploitation of Indian construction workers in the Middle East: Case Studies

10 Jun 2014 CW Staff

CASE 4: Shabby living conditions

Tirupathy, 38, worked for 10 years in Dubai, where he was recruited by Arabtec Construction Company, a leading company in the UAE. Despite the company's stature, it failed to provide construction workers even basic facilities. All the workers were put up in a labour camp where conditions were unhygienic. They were forced to drink salt water; those who resisted would be forced to spend the day without water and food. Despite the extreme weather conditions, there was no air-conditioning or cooling in the camp. Because of these shabby living conditions, Tirupathy was hospitalised for a week. As the company refused to pay, he had to meet all the expenses himself.

FACT: On an average, around 20 Indian migrants died per month in 2013. Around 27 died in the hottest month, August.

CASE 5: Health and safety

Thirty-seven year-old Chandra worked in Kuwait for six years. While working on the third floor at an airport site, he fell down and broke his leg. The contractor had not provided any safety harness and no safety precautions were followed on site. After the accident, the supervisor asked him to leave the site. Chandra returned to the labour camp and was in a lot of pain. He had damaged his bone and needed a steel rod placed inside his leg. When the contractors refused to pay, his friends helped with funds for hospitalisation and treatment. In fact, the contractor threatened Chandra with life in jail if he dared to file a complaint against him.

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