Arabian Business goes inside Arabtec’s labour camps in Dubai following BBC controversy.
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Dubai’s labour camps
Arabian Business goes inside Arabtec’s labour camps in Dubai following BBC controversy.
The toilets at Arabtec’s labour camps are cleaned by men in overalls, wellington boots and masks. Arabian Business was informed that there are 20 men to each washing facility but there were lots of flies buzzing when we were there.(ITP Images)
Arabtec’s Jebel Ali labour camp accomodates 494 workers and its capacity is 625. The Jebel Ali Camp 2 is bigger with 510 rooms occupied by 4,200 people. (ITP Images)
A kitchen at one of Arabtec’s labour camps. At around 3.50 dirhams, the workers can buy a meal including rice, daal, veg, spinach and potato curry, sambar, a spicy south Indian curry, and fish curry and something called pakoda which is similar to an onion bhaji. (ITP Images)
There were portakabins at Arabtec’s labour camps with Vietnam Only on the door. The Vietnamese workers had been separated and since thrown out after problems with them fighting other nationalities. (ITP Images)
Abdul Kader from Bangladesh is a carpenter who earns 800 dirhams a month. He has worked at Arabtec for seven months and was cooking rice and potatoes as he chatted with Arabian Business. He’s one of the late shift workers – they work from 6pm to 3am. (ITP Images)
Cooking facilities at the Jebel Ali labour camp – hobs are all rusty and there are very, very basic facilities. (ITP Images)
A labourer takes a bath at one Arabtec’s labour camps. There are signs all over the walls at tha labour camps with messages telling the workers how to stay healthy. (ITP Images)n
Walking through one of the labour camps, one gets the feeling you’re pretty much in the desert. Some give a feel that they were hastily put up and not a pleasant place to live. n
The sun was out here but one could imagine what it’s like if it was raining – a complete mudbath as there is no drainage at some places. (ITP Images)
Labourers wash the food utensils before cooking – About 350-400 workers buy their food at the Jebel Ali Camp – 2, each night. (ITP Images)
Arabtec has urged its workers to maintain hygienic conditions around the labour camp campus. (ITP Images)
Labourers from different nationalities dwell together at Arabtec’s camps. But as one of the firm’s official observed it was not possible to mix all the people – for example, someone from Bombay with someone from Bangalore.
Washing hangs across the courtyards at the labour camp. (ITP Images)
One of the metal bunk beds in one of the rooms occupied by labourers at Nad al Sheba labour camp. (ITP Images)
Another view of one of the rooms at Nad al Sheba labour camp. (ITP Images)
A view of the cooking facilities at Nad al Sheba labour camp. (ITP Images)
Piles of empty paint tins suggest the camp was given a lick of paint before the tour arrived at Nad al Sheba. (ITP Images)
A labourer fixes a plug. (ITP Images)
