India Pushes for Worker Rights in Gulf

According to the AP -

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Oil-rich Gulf nations, already facing labor protests, are getting new pressure from India, which wants them to pay minimum wages for unskilled workers.
The move by India — which has 5 million workers in the Gulf, making it the largest source of migrants — is the […]



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Hundreds of workers demand higher wages in UAE

From the Wall Street Journal (and via The Emirates Economist blog) -
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — Protests and violent skirmishes over rising prices are hitting parts of the Middle East, a region already beset by strife but otherwise enjoying an unprecedented, oil-fueled economic boom.
On Tuesday, hundreds of workers demanding higher wages to counter soaring food […]



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Labour workers suffering in cold weather

And some of you can help by donating clothes. I’m attaching two clippings of our local paper which has the contact information of the founder and a volunteer for an organization which distributes clothes to low-paid workers in need of help and support.
Click the images for larger viewing.



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Over Hundred Indian Workers protest in front of Embassy

Kuwait City: Dec 12
Abubakar A. Ibrahim
Over a Hundred Indian workers on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Indian Embassy to air their grievances against their company which allegedly ordered their arrest.
Four armed policemen on Tuesday raided the apartment of the workers where they assaulted and arrested 29 workers. The protesters claimed that […]



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Bahrain rights group highlight migrant worker situation

An excerpt from a recent article published on the Bahrain Center for Human Rights:
The BCHR feels, however, that special attention must be given to the plight of female migrant domestic workers, as they have been by and large ignored and excluded from the discourse on women’s rights in Bahrain. In Bahrain, migrant workers employed as […]



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Chinese laborers stage strike again

Published Date: November 29, 2007
By Muna Al-Fuzai, Staff columnist
KUWAIT: The front lawns of the Chinese Embassy in the Al-Yarmouk residential area yesterday witnessed yet another scene of agitating Chinese workers who assembled again in the desperate hope that their demands and rights would be met. It is apparently their word against the company, the […]



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Kuwait: Chinese workers protest, demand six months pay

KUWAIT: Around 280 Chinese laborers held a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yarmouk yesterday. The men were protesting against their employer and demanding that their salaries, which some hadn’t received in six months, be paid immediately. The protesting laborers were sitting and lying on the ground in front of the Chinese Embassy […]



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Suicides become resort to relief among migrants

Recently I have noticed that the suicide cases among workers and maids have been on the rise in Kuwait. There is at least one suicide case reported everyday, with a small coverage as though, it’s a one-off incident. Today, I came across 4 such reports in the Kuwait and Arab Times which I uploaded below. […]



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Quote of the day

“One of the world’s largest construction booms is feeding off of workers in Dubai, but they’re treated as less than human. It’s no surprise that some workers have started rioting in protest. What’s surprising is that the government of the UAE is doing nothing to solve the problem.”
Sarah Leah Whitson,
Middle East and […]



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Enhancing social protection of Bangladeshi migrants

Reported by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights:

Section 1: The Situation
There are approximately 74,000 Bangladeshi workers in Bahrain, including up to 4,000 women. These workers represent 10 per cent of the total population of residents in Bahrain.
Within the region, Bangladeshi workers are mainly employed in unskilled work, such as construction work, menial and manual labor, […]



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