Alarm over workers to Emirates
Cambodian labourers may soon be recruited to construction sites in the United Arab Emirates, where conditions are described as “tragic” by human rights groups. The Lebanon-based company that would hire the workers under the prospective scheme, Agostine & Raphael Group, is run by Middle Eastern tycoon Kamal Agostine, who also serves as the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism’s official envoy to the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council. On Friday, Agostine met with Minister of Labour Ith Sam Heng in Phnom Penh to hammer out the details of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which looks likely to be finalised in the near future. ... Friday’s meeting came a day after a report by the Nepalese rights group Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee said at least 400 Nepalese workers had died on construction sites in Qatar as the UAE’s next-door neighbour prepares for the World Cup in 2022. Conditions for Asian migrant workers in the region are widely understood to be dire, with local regulations heavily favouring companies’ rights to use cheap, disposable labour over the rights of workers to enjoy an acceptable standard of living. ...
Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/alarm-over-workers-emirates
