Labor Abuse Alleged At Trump Project In Dubai

For construction workers at a Trump mega-project in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, payment is often slow, and as much as several month’s pay can end up in the hands of the recruiter, according to an article in the New York Times. Housing is crowded and bare-bones, and water from the company store, sold by the bottle, costs twice what it does downtown. A spokesperson for the Trump organization disclaims responsibility for work conditions, saying it is neither owner nor developer of “Trump International Golf Club Dubai,” and it does not hire or supervise people working on the project. However, the Times article points out that the Trump Organization does manage it, in partnership with a Dubai real estate company called Damac, and Damac contracts with the workers who are the subject of the article. Damac’s owner, said to have a net worth of $4 billion, has been nicknamed “the Trump of Dubai.” It’s noted that he attended Trump’s inauguration and spent New Year’s Eve at his Florida resort. Trump International is one of two fledgling Trump mega-projects in Dubai., both of which include a golf course, condos and “villas” in the multi-million dollar range, and one of which will throw in a couple of Mercedes Benzs if you buy two villas. In the UAE, more than 80 percent of the population is made up of migrant workers from India, Pakistan and Nepal, according to the Times article, which quotes a Human Right Watch director who maintains that subcontracting to local companies “is the classic way that international companies try to dodge responsibility.” Workers interviewed say their passports have been confiscated, which is a violation of UAE law, but it’s unclear how many would leave if they had the chance. For most of them, the pay of between $200 to $400 a month is considerably better than they could do at home.