Monday, July 31, 2006

Mid-Day Break in the UAE

The newspapers have reported that some companies have been violating the mid-day break rule, but, at least where I live, it is honoured.

Work starts promptly at 6:00 a.m., right outside my window, and continues until 12:30 p.m., when it stops for the mid-day break. I haven't seen a single violation at this site.

The company had the workers build themselves a wooden covering, which provides most of the workers with shade; a few more sleep inside the garage of a nearby building.

All are able to rest out of the sun, though they do not have any air conditioning, and the temperature is sweltering, even in the shade (but is much more endurable than in the direct sun). The workers are resting on cardboard from containers that held the building materials.

When I first arrived in the UAE, workers were hauled around in the beds of pick-up trucks, usually with cages over the beds to keep the workers inside, and outdoor workers had to work through the hottest part of the summer days.

The Ruler of Dubai put a stop to transporting workers in trucks, and the Ruler of the UAE ordered a stop to workers slaving away during the hottest part of the day.

Whether this was for the benefit of the workers, or for the benefit of the more sensitive Western tourists isn’t clear, but the new rules benefit both.

2 Comments:

Blogger Seabee said...

Those trucks were amazing to watch weren't they. Fifty or so labourers packed shoulder to shoulder and every time the truck hit one of the many bumps it set of a Mexican Wave!
Sadly, quite a few were killed and injured by being thown out.

6:07 pm  
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4:44 pm  

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