Even as thousands of Indians go to the Gulf with stars in the eyes and hopes of earning good money, the truth is that UAE is practically a desert with mirages of oasis floating around.
According to Pakistan’s Daily Times, most of the labourers from the subcontinent,
including Indians who go to the United Arab Emirates end up working without getting anything paid in return for their labour, some even for nine months, with the result that many of them commit suicide to escape the poverty.
And the stark contrast that differentiates the living conditions is worth looking at. While Dubai gets metamorphosed from a backwater desert state into a bustling metropolis with the futuristic skyline, the labourers continue to live in overcrowded camps, which could be best described as rows of cement block on the city’s outskirts, out of sight of the five star hotels and resorts,
The living conditions are so poor that in many cases 12 men share a room with bunk beds and a low table where they sit down to eat, and needless to say not only do many have erratic power and water supply, many labourers say are unsafe as well.
Twenty year old Ranver from Rajasthan borrowed 100,000 rupees to come to Dubai, but so precarious is his situation, that neither is he in a position to repay the loan not send any cash to his family back home.
He is still to receive his 550-dirham salary in nine months and for survival taken up another illegal job.
"It's better to do any job for 50 dirhams instead of risking being caught by police and deported," the paper quoted Ranver as saying.
Similarly thirty four year old Srinivas Kasa Kasa Nadipi from Hyderabad, said that he hasn't been paid in six months, adding that his employer wants reimbursement for bringing him to the country.
"They want me to pay 1,500 dirhams so I can move to another company. I complained to the (Labour) Ministry. They say, okay, we will ask the company to pay you, but nothing has happened. I cannot go home because I haven't repaid the loan and the interest keeps piling up," added Nadipi.
The Dubai Labour Ministry on its part says that companies which do not pay salaries regularly are refused additional work permits, adding that UAE is amending its labour code and Dubai has set up a committee to resolve complaints by workers and ensure that companies abide by their commitments.
Presently under UAE law, employees cannot work for anyone other than their sponsor.