UAE: At least 3 workers died building Dubai Expo
Dubai's Expo has released figures on construction-related casualties for the first time — amid criticism of the Gulf state's workers' rights record.
The Dubai Expo opened on Friday, but concerns remain about its safety record for those who worked on the site
At least three workers died and 72 were seriously hurt while building Dubai's Expo 2020 site over a six-year construction period, officials said in a statement on Saturday.
The release of the figures came amid ongoing criticism from rights groups and the European Parliament about conditions for laborers, often from South Asia, at the site.
It is the first time that Dubai's Expo has released figures on construction-related casualties.
The $7 billion (€6 billion) world fair was delayed for a year due to the pandemic but opened on Friday. It is hoping to draw millions of visitors to the site on the outskirts of the major city in the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai Expo defends its safety record
Dubai's Expo defended its record, saying that the frequency of accidents was lower than Britain's.
The accident frequency rate, a calculation used to measure incidents over a set amount of time worked, was 0.03, compared to 0.07 in the construction industry in Britain as recorded by the UK Health and Safety Executive, the statement said.
It said that more than 200,000 workers constructed the site and collectively worked around 247 million hours.
"We have established world-class policies, standards and processes that protect and support the health, safety, and wellbeing of everyone involved in Expo 2020 Dubai," the statement said.
The statement did not explain the circumstances under which the workers died or were injured.
Conflicting numbers
Inconsistent numbers were provided about worker deaths on Saturday, news agency AP reported.
Initially, Dubai's Expo 2020 spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said that five workers had died. Later, this number was revised down to three.
In a later statement, Expo apologized for the "inaccuracy" in the figures.
Expo boycott amid UAE's migrant safety record
In a resolution last month, the European Parliament urged member states not to take part in Expo. It cited "inhumane practices" against foreign workers and "systematic persecution" of human rights defenders.
Ahead of Expo, businesses and construction companies were "coercing workers into signing untranslated documents, confiscating their passports, exposing them to extreme working hours in unsafe weather conditions and providing them with unsanitary housing," the parliament's resolution said.
Rights groups have long criticized the country for such practices. Laborers in the UAE are barred from unionization and have few protections, leaving them open to exploitation.
The UAE rejected the non-binding resolution as "factually incorrect."
McGeachin acknowledged that authorities were aware of cases involving contractors "withholding passports," engaging in suspect "recruitment practices" and violating workplace safety codes.
She added that organizers had taken steps to clamp down on such cases, without elaborating on what these steps were.
France opted out of the boycott, denying it was part of the resolution.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited the Expo on Saturday, saying its relationship with the UAE was "a strategic one."
Dubai's Expo has released figures on construction-related casualties for the first time — amid criticism of the Gulf state's workers' rights record.
The Dubai Expo opened on Friday, but concerns remain about its safety record for those who worked on the site
At least three workers died and 72 were seriously hurt while building Dubai's Expo 2020 site over a six-year construction period, officials said in a statement on Saturday.
The release of the figures came amid ongoing criticism from rights groups and the European Parliament about conditions for laborers, often from South Asia, at the site.
It is the first time that Dubai's Expo has released figures on construction-related casualties.
The $7 billion (€6 billion) world fair was delayed for a year due to the pandemic but opened on Friday. It is hoping to draw millions of visitors to the site on the outskirts of the major city in the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai Expo defends its safety record
Dubai's Expo defended its record, saying that the frequency of accidents was lower than Britain's.
The accident frequency rate, a calculation used to measure incidents over a set amount of time worked, was 0.03, compared to 0.07 in the construction industry in Britain as recorded by the UK Health and Safety Executive, the statement said.
It said that more than 200,000 workers constructed the site and collectively worked around 247 million hours.
"We have established world-class policies, standards and processes that protect and support the health, safety, and wellbeing of everyone involved in Expo 2020 Dubai," the statement said.
The statement did not explain the circumstances under which the workers died or were injured.
Conflicting numbers
Inconsistent numbers were provided about worker deaths on Saturday, news agency AP reported.
Initially, Dubai's Expo 2020 spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said that five workers had died. Later, this number was revised down to three.
In a later statement, Expo apologized for the "inaccuracy" in the figures.
Expo boycott amid UAE's migrant safety record
In a resolution last month, the European Parliament urged member states not to take part in Expo. It cited "inhumane practices" against foreign workers and "systematic persecution" of human rights defenders.
Ahead of Expo, businesses and construction companies were "coercing workers into signing untranslated documents, confiscating their passports, exposing them to extreme working hours in unsafe weather conditions and providing them with unsanitary housing," the parliament's resolution said.
Rights groups have long criticized the country for such practices. Laborers in the UAE are barred from unionization and have few protections, leaving them open to exploitation.
The UAE rejected the non-binding resolution as "factually incorrect."
McGeachin acknowledged that authorities were aware of cases involving contractors "withholding passports," engaging in suspect "recruitment practices" and violating workplace safety codes.
She added that organizers had taken steps to clamp down on such cases, without elaborating on what these steps were.
France opted out of the boycott, denying it was part of the resolution.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited the Expo on Saturday, saying its relationship with the UAE was "a strategic one."
Dubai Expo 2020 offers conflicting figures on worker deaths
Sat., October 2, 2021
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s Expo 2020 on Saturday offered conflicting figures for how many workers had been killed on site during construction of the massive world's fair, first saying five and then later three.
In a later statement, Expo apologized and described the initial figure as a “mistake." Authorities had refused for months to publicly provide any figures for construction-related casualties in the run-up to the $7 billion fair rising from the desert outside Dubai, designed the burnish the city's reputation abroad and draw millions of visitors.
The inconsistent statements came as the event and the United Arab Emirates as a whole long has faced criticism from human rights activists over poor treatment of the low-paid migrant laborers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who keep the country's economy humming.
When pressed to provide a number for worker deaths at a news conference Saturday morning, Expo spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said without hesitation that “we have had five fatalities now," adding, "you know, that is obviously a tragedy that anybody would die.”
But just after 5 p.m. Saturday and hours after an Associated Press report quoted McGeachin, Expo put out a statement that said: “Unfortunately, there have been three work-related fatalities (and) 72 serious injuries to date.” Just after 7 p.m., Expo issued another statement apologizing for “the inaccuracy.”
Expo said that its 200,000 laborers who built the vast fairgrounds from scratch worked over 240 million hours. Over the past year, authorities had not offered any overall statistics previously on worker fatalities, injuries or coronavirus infections despite repeated requests from the AP and other journalists.
The admission comes after the European Parliament urged nations not to take part in Expo, citing the UAE's “inhumane practices against foreign workers” that it said worsened during the pandemic. Ahead of Expo, businesses and construction companies are “coercing workers into signing untranslated documents, confiscating their passports, exposing them to extreme working hours in unsafe weather conditions and providing them with unsanitary housing,” the resolution last month said.
McGeachin also acknowledged that authorities were aware of cases involving contractors “withholding passports," engaging in suspect “recruitment practices" and violating workplace safety codes.
“We have taken steps to ensure those have been addressed and very much intervened in cases on that,” she said, without elaborating.
Laborers in the UAE are barred from unionization and have few protections, often working long hours for little pay and living in substandard conditions. Most foreign workers, hoping to earn more than they would at home, come to the UAE and other oil-rich Arab states through recruitment agencies, part of a sponsorship system that ties their residency status to their jobs and lends their employers outsized power.
Dubai's searing early autumn heat proved hazardous even for those visiting the site on its opening day Friday, with some tourists fainting in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) humid weather.
On the fairgrounds Saturday to mark France's National Day at Expo, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a news conference that his government was “not part” of the European Parliament resolution urging the boycott of Dubai's world's fair.
“Our relation with the United Arab Emirates is a strategic one, it's very close,” Le Drian said when asked about concerns over labor abuses on site. “If we need to say something to the United Arab Emirates' government we do so behind closed doors."
There was no Emirati official present at the press conference.
Isabel Debre, The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s Expo 2020 on Saturday offered conflicting figures for how many workers had been killed on site during construction of the massive world's fair, first saying five and then later three.
In a later statement, Expo apologized and described the initial figure as a “mistake." Authorities had refused for months to publicly provide any figures for construction-related casualties in the run-up to the $7 billion fair rising from the desert outside Dubai, designed the burnish the city's reputation abroad and draw millions of visitors.
The inconsistent statements came as the event and the United Arab Emirates as a whole long has faced criticism from human rights activists over poor treatment of the low-paid migrant laborers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who keep the country's economy humming.
When pressed to provide a number for worker deaths at a news conference Saturday morning, Expo spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said without hesitation that “we have had five fatalities now," adding, "you know, that is obviously a tragedy that anybody would die.”
But just after 5 p.m. Saturday and hours after an Associated Press report quoted McGeachin, Expo put out a statement that said: “Unfortunately, there have been three work-related fatalities (and) 72 serious injuries to date.” Just after 7 p.m., Expo issued another statement apologizing for “the inaccuracy.”
Expo said that its 200,000 laborers who built the vast fairgrounds from scratch worked over 240 million hours. Over the past year, authorities had not offered any overall statistics previously on worker fatalities, injuries or coronavirus infections despite repeated requests from the AP and other journalists.
The admission comes after the European Parliament urged nations not to take part in Expo, citing the UAE's “inhumane practices against foreign workers” that it said worsened during the pandemic. Ahead of Expo, businesses and construction companies are “coercing workers into signing untranslated documents, confiscating their passports, exposing them to extreme working hours in unsafe weather conditions and providing them with unsanitary housing,” the resolution last month said.
McGeachin also acknowledged that authorities were aware of cases involving contractors “withholding passports," engaging in suspect “recruitment practices" and violating workplace safety codes.
“We have taken steps to ensure those have been addressed and very much intervened in cases on that,” she said, without elaborating.
Laborers in the UAE are barred from unionization and have few protections, often working long hours for little pay and living in substandard conditions. Most foreign workers, hoping to earn more than they would at home, come to the UAE and other oil-rich Arab states through recruitment agencies, part of a sponsorship system that ties their residency status to their jobs and lends their employers outsized power.
Dubai's searing early autumn heat proved hazardous even for those visiting the site on its opening day Friday, with some tourists fainting in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit) humid weather.
On the fairgrounds Saturday to mark France's National Day at Expo, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a news conference that his government was “not part” of the European Parliament resolution urging the boycott of Dubai's world's fair.
“Our relation with the United Arab Emirates is a strategic one, it's very close,” Le Drian said when asked about concerns over labor abuses on site. “If we need to say something to the United Arab Emirates' government we do so behind closed doors."
There was no Emirati official present at the press conference.
Isabel Debre, The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment