Study: labourers better off financially in UAE than in India

“Amen TheBitterTruth! certain people seem to forgot why THEY left THEIR homeland to come here to work. I have seen so many western nationalities that work here in management positions yet when I looked up their cvs they were working in bars and toilets back home!”

“When are the authorities going to enact laws that protect the rights of the labourers and give them a decent minimum wage? They may earn more than they would in India but it is still woefully low in the context of the billions of dollars that are spent on the buildings themselves.”

“I think this can be said for a lot of the expat population in this country. I know people here living in villas at the Ranches and driving expensive cars who had trouble paying their rent for their studio and their monthly installment on their VW Lupo back in their ''first world'' nation. Every body came to Dubai for a better lifestyle, not cause you were given a royal invite. Deal with it.”

“Perhaps ExpatEddie just forgot why HE came to Dubai.”

“ExpatEddie have you worked in India to judge how awful it is to work there for these labourers? They choose to come to the UAE because the salaries are higher than what they make back home and because India has less demand for over the top high rise buildings than Dubai does. No one chooses to come to the UAE and work in bad conditions and have their passports and salaries held do you really think that their employers tell them this is what will happen when they arrive here? As for putting up with it, they choose to do so because they have families back home to support and fighting employers would mean filing court cases and a lot of hassle and money involved which they cannot afford and in some cases those that don't have their passports cannot even go back home. Think before you write.”

“Not all are financially well off. By the way,their debt is due to the loans taken and the mortgage of their small tracts of land to chase their dream of riches.They work overseas since they are lured by their greedy sub agents who dangle as bait big salaries and benefits just to get their nod to the noose. The sole cause of their indebtedness are these sharks who grab all the little coins these ignorant hold.

For the most part their country of origin is to blame. They are unable to curb their burgeoning population and so they heap their sins of unemployment on the doorsteps of who ever will have them.To eradicate this perennial problem - as Expat Eddie pointed out - it is a problem! we need to snip at the source - the crooks in their home country who ensnare them into nothingness.

I am curious about the better off financially. Let us reiterate that these workers are better off where they hail from - a life with a shred of self respect. Ironically, these same labour , if they make their sacrifices back home will not have to look to other shores to work. Work in India is plenty - the question is " Do they want to work? " Seems they prefer the vicious cycle of working overseas to pay a debt for a debt taken to work overseas.”

“No one ever denied that these workers might be doing financially better in UAE . What these people want is to be treated with some dignity one should afford another human. Instead they get locked away in filthy camps miles away from the "Dubai'' the world sees, they don't get their salaries (although 300% higher than in India) for months and cannot do anything against their employers as they are uneducated and absolutely powerless, they get kept out from malls and parks and are robbed off all their rights. If one day, the whole lot pack their bags and leave, who is going to clean your streets, put gas in your tanks, carry your groceries to the car and manicure the lawns of Dubai ? Treat them as a part of the society, not an eyesore.”

“Working on a site 12 hours a day and then transported via an overcrowded prison bus is not my idea of living. These poor soles are then shipped to an under provided filthy labor camp in the undesirable parts of the town

ok financially they might be better off but in my view it is still exploitation...taking their identities away as soon as they enter the country and paying them as little as 500AED per month...i could spend that on fuel and salik at the beginning of a week

i work on sites myself and although their lack of education and skill often frustrates me at times it really makes me sad to see their scrawny malnourished and dehydrated frames as they work in the desert heat. It is good to see that there are great charities in town who support these people and offer them some relief and benefits. Having worked for a contractor myself i know first hand that these people are seen as a majority who can be manipulated by virtue of their nationality and circumstances.
Unfortuantely this problem will never go away and it is not just a UAE problem or a middle east problem, i have seen the same in Asia and African countries.
UAE is now the star attraction of the middle east boasting excellent standards of living and equal opportunity....why not lead by example and clean up the labor industry.”

“It just shows how awful it is to work in India for these guys that they put up with being away from their familiies here and have their passports withheld and sometimes salaries too”