Luxury and Labor in Dubai
Luxury and Labor in Dubai
2007: The building boom transforming Dubai's coastline and economy is attracting foreign business, tourists and investors from around the world and ratcheting up Dubai's GDP. Luxury is the new standard for nationals and expatriates and Dubai has been touted as the model of economic development in the Middle East.
However, its exponential growth and wealth has come at the expense of over half a million migrant laborers toiling long hours in this construction frenzy in exchange for inequitable wages and squalid housing. They work eight to twelve hour shifts, six days a week, in up to 120-degree heat at sites with dangerous conditions. Labor laws are not enforced and trade unions, collective bargaining and strikes are illegal.
While investors around the globe reap the financial rewards of the construction frenzy, the men physically building Dubai's new skyline are profiting little.
In this image tourists enjoy a camel ride in front of newly constructed luxury resorts and residences along Jumeirah Beach.
