This past week, on a girl's night out, was greatly disturbed to meet the young wife of a prominent construction industry bigwig. At first the estrogen-speak induced recurring ignorance and plastic plutocracy much like that of the nouveau riche had me shrink away in disgust, but soon realized she was just getting started when she announced that in an American-Airlines-one-olive-at-a-time cost-cutting fashion, her husband tactfully introduced a clause on the labor force's contract allowing the company to deduct AED 75 from the worker's wage should said worker fail to report for duty and AED 45 in case of a fight. Only in this case, not one but two olives will be plucked from under boy blue (quite literally) considering his already non-existent pay. "According to our estimate, on account of the fights alone we should be able to save thousands on book by the end of the year", says she.
Exactly what makes them steal food off a poor man's table when they have want for nothing?
Post came off my blog but what I'm feeling, only public venting could cure; albeit partially.
16 March, 2007
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Meanwhile, Dubai police has banned the distribution of water to laborers sleeping on street corners. Last week my Mum was stopped from giving away water bottles to the workers behind the work house. Will let everyone know more on this after I've looked into it by showing up at the police department soon.
labour contracts i thought were owned by the ministry of labour and not individual contracting companies... companies owning their labour is there any truth to this??? if not much else, then it gives them a greater margin for inhumane behaviour, me thinks. no fair! and the law against giving away water (at the least) is ridiculous... just ridiculous.
What is worth mentioning here is the cleaning staff of most cleaning companies here. Treatment is far worse and I have it on good authority (me). Our office cleaning staff is hired and they're at work before anyone else (5:00 AM - this particular company is from Sharjah so they're picked up and dropped off in Dubai EARLY) and working hours streth throughout the day right up to 6:00 PM and they get paid 400 dirhams with annual leave amounting to just under 3 weeks.
I know I shouldn't judge, but how can she be happy and proud about hatching such an evil plot to deduct huge slices of well-deserved pay from their salary like that?! Argh!
@ anon - Construction companies own their labour. Ash's venting is completely justified especially since I've come across of few people like that myself. Downsizing isn't new anywhere but taking away hard earned monies is inhumane.
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