Believe me, the construction business is a sneaky SOB, especially with HUGE contracts like in Dubai, remember, the way it works is that BIDS are put out to several "qualified" contractors who then do their best to come up with what they consider a "good" bid to get the job. The Architects and Owner then decide based on the bids who to hire for the job. If they choose the dirt cheapest bid out there, then obviously the contractor who bid the lowest is going to find ways to cut corners in order to complete the contract and still make a profit, if that means trapping workers there to complete the project and pay them the minimum amount of money, then thats what they will do...There is no obligation for the Gov't to investigate the contractor who they hired as the cheapest. They want the project completed by all means necessary. By hiring the cheapest they obviously won't expect the workers to be living like kings cause they know how the business works...its Sad but true...
WOW, Redlum...the similarities of what you said there to 'sweet' TnT are rather telling...
Sahinal Monir, a slim 24-year-old from the deltas of Bangladesh. "To get you here, they tell you Dubai is heaven. Then you get here and realise it is hell," he says. Four years ago, an employment agent arrived in Sahinal's village in Southern Bangladesh. He told the men of the village that there was a place where they could earn 40,000 takka a month (£400) just for working nine-to-five on construction projects. It was a place where they would be given great accommodation, great food, and treated well. All they had to do was pay an up-front fee of 220,000 takka (£2,300) for the work visa – a fee they'd pay off in the first six months, easy. So Sahinal sold his family land, and took out a loan from the local lender, to head to this paradise. As soon as he arrived at Dubai airport, his passport was taken from him by his construction company. He has not seen it since. He was told brusquely that from now on he would be working 14-hour days in the desert heat – where western tourists are advised not to stay outside for even five minutes in summer, when it hits 55 degrees – for 500 dirhams a month (£90), less than a quarter of the wage he was promised. If you don't like it, the company told him, go home. "But how can I go home? You have my passport, and I have no money for the ticket," he said. "Well, then you'd better get to work," they replied. Sahinal was in a panic. His family back home – his son, daughter, wife and parents – were waiting for money, excited that their boy had finally made it. But he was going to have to work for more than two years just to pay for the cost of getting here – and all to earn less than he did in Bangladesh.
This article was posted a few weeks ago.http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,16358.0.html
