“Dubai’s Ministry of Labour is investigating claims made in a BBC report that construction workers in the Emirate are being forced to live in inhumane conditions”.
“The recent BBC [Panorama] investigation found a lack of clean water and raw sewage in one camp, which housed 7,500 labourers in 1,248 rooms. [...] The BBC investigation was carried out by undercover Panorama reporter Ben Anderson, who [secretly] followed a group of [migrant] workers home from work”.
They were working on the development of the Jumeirah Golf Estates. The main developer, Leisurecorp “has attracted an incredible array of celebrities has attracted an incredible array of celebrities [...] including [TV cook] Jamie Oliver, [and golfers] Greg Norman, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia”, BBC reports.
Speaking anonymously, one of the workers, employed by subcontactor Arabtec, told the BBC reporter: “The latrines are so filthy we cannot use them, we are so disgusted. The roads are full of garbage and waterlogged”. The reporter discovered that “sewage had leaked out all over the camp, and workers had to create a network of stepping stones to cross it and get back to their accommodation blocks. One toilet block had no water supply and the latrines were filled with piles of raw faeces”.
A month earlier Arabtec had been fined 10,000 dirhams, (US$ 2,700 = € 2,100) for allowing sewage to overflow into workers’ accommodation.
“Arabtec said it did not accept that there were unsanitary conditions at any of its camps’ toilets. It blamed the workers, saying, despite training, their “standards of cleanliness and hygiene are not up to your or our standards” and that the toilet block [the BBC] had filmed in may have been a block that was meant to be closed”.
“It now says it is concerned about the situation, and despite originally blaming the problems on a nearby sewage plant, admitted sewage in the camp was a constant problem it was battling to resolve. They said the camp was a temporary one and all workers will be moved out in eight months”.
“In a statement to Panorama, Jamie Oliver Enterprises said they were disturbed by the issues raised [in the programme, but that they] have been given further assurances that the claims made by employees working on a sub-developer’s project will be investigated.” BBC’s Panorama has been told that “Jamie Oliver now wants to come up with more accurate wording to describe his business relationship with Jumeirah Golf Estates. In the meantime, the celebrity chef’s name has been removed from the list of ambassadors on the company’s website”.
Sources: Icon Review, 10 Apr 2009 ; BBC News, 06 Apr 2009 ; BBC Panorama, 06 Apr 2009.
2 responses so far ↓
Aaron Richardson // April 20, 2009 at 11:32 am |
This article is completely inaccurate and defamatory and I suggest it is removed with immediate effect.
Leisurecorp has no contractual relationship with The First Group or UNEC – neither company is working on the Jumeirah Golf Estates project. Leisurecorp is not connected to Flintoff, Owen or Torrence in any way. They have never been ambassadors for Leisurecorp of Jumeirah Golf Estates and there names have never been on any websites connected to Leisurecorp.
Jamie Oliver is an ambassador for Leisurecorp, but it is inaccurate to suggest his name has been removed from the Jumeirah Golf Estates website.
Leisurecorp has no contractual relationship with Arabtec – they are contractor working for a company who purchased undeveloped land from Leisurecorp in 2007 prior to any construction taking place.
Can you provide a contact for the author so this can be rectified ASAP?
dietvorst // April 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm |
The references to The First Group and UNEC and to Flintoff, Owen and Torrence have been removed from the blog post.
Jamie Oliver is not mentioned on the list of ambassadors on the Leisurecorp web site or on that of the Jumeirah Golf Estates web site. The exact quote from the BBC News and BBC Panorama web site has now been reproduced “In the meantime, the celebrity chef’s name has been removed from the list of ambassadors on the company’s website”.
The blog entry makes no mention of contractual relationships between Leisurecorp and Arabtec.
The blog entry quotes from the articles published by the BBC and Icon Review.
If Leisurecorp has published an official press release/statement in reaction to the BBC Panorama programme, or if it has sent in an official complaint to the BBC Complaints department, I am happy to provide a link to it.