Migrant workers discovered they were left uncompensated in the Emirates after a thunderstorm and subsequent floods caused by heavy rains, highlighting the government’s neglect of their rights and the evident discrimination they face.
Representatives of workers from several Asian countries told Emirates Leaks that the UAE government authorities have so far neglected to inform them of any mechanisms to compensate migrant workers.
They explained that government compensation in the UAE is certainly limited to citizens and large investors, while it does not care about simple foreign workers.
Representatives of expatriate workers in the UAE have been diligently evaluating the damages incurred by migrant workers, encompassing fatalities, injuries, and substantial financial losses, over the course of several days.
But they complained of blatant government neglect and discrimination at a time when there were no official union bodies to talk about the plight of migrant workers and their losses.
The UAE witnessed the heaviest rainfall in 75 years since data recording began, paralyzing large areas and causing great damage.
Residents found themselves encircled by floodwaters on the streets, in offices, and within homes, with numerous accounts of water seepage into residential spaces. Meanwhile, social media circulated footage revealing commercial centers inundated by water pouring in from rooftops.
International human rights organizations verify the dire conditions migrant workers endure in the Emirates, to the extent that even voicing grievances about abuses subjects them to harsh repercussions such as imprisonment and deportation.
According to the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, the sponsorship system in the UAE restricts migrant workers’ visas to their employers and prevents them from changing employers or leaving them without permission.
The organization highlighted that employers can falsely accuse workers of “absconding,” even when they are escaping mistreatment, thereby subjecting them to potential fines, arrest, detention, and deportation, all without any assurance of fair legal procedures.
Many low-wage migrant workers were extremely vulnerable to conditions that amounted to forced labor, including passport confiscation, wage theft, and illegal recruitment fees.
Trade unions are banned in the UAE, which prevents workers from negotiating collectively. The UAE still has no non-discriminatory minimum wage.
The Labor Law allows workers to undertake flexible, temporary, part-time, and remote work, in addition to explicitly prohibiting sexual harassment and discrimination.
Many low-wage migrant workers were extremely vulnerable to conditions that amounted to forced labor, including passport confiscation, wage theft, and illegal recruitment fees.
Trade unions are prohibited in the UAE, hindering workers from engaging in collective bargaining. Additionally, the UAE lacks a non-discriminatory minimum wage system.
The Labor Law allows workers to undertake flexible, temporary, part-time, and remote work, in addition to explicitly prohibiting sexual harassment and discrimination.
Migrant workers residing in the UAE, who constitute 88% of its population, are exposed to the dangers of extreme heat without adequate protection.
Human Rights Watch has noted how migrant workers in the UAE face significant health dangers due to prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
The UAE continues to enforce an ineffective summer midday ban, banning outdoor work between 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. between June 15 and September 15, despite evidence that it is ineffective in protecting workers.
Workers have described suffering from severe and persistent health problems potentially associated with extreme heat exposure. These working conditions commonly lead to serious health consequences, including fatalities caused by heat-related factors.
Human Rights Watch has additionally recorded widespread labor violations experienced by migrant workers, including instances of wage theft and excessively high recruitment fees. These issues hinder workers’ capacity to provide for their families, particularly in countries vulnerable to climate change like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, especially during extreme weather events frequently associated with climate change.
The authorities issued a law by Federal Decree No. (9) of 2022 regarding domestic workers, updating their 2017 law regarding domestic workers, which guarantees some labor rights.
The law now prohibits discrimination and violence against male and female domestic workers by employers and imposes obligations on recruitment agencies to provide information to male and female domestic workers, refrain from charging them recruitment costs, and refrain from violence against them. However, it is still weaker than the labor law and does not meet international standards.
However, domestic workers persist in reporting incidents of confinement within households or recruitment agencies, as well as instances of unpaid wages, and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse perpetrated by employers and recruitment agencies.