BAN ON MIDDAY WORKING OUTDOORS

Small contracting companies are ignoring a ruling from the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing banning work on construction site between 11.30am and 3pm until August 31, according to the local newspaper.

A noted Muslim cleric has criticised such firms on television, stating that Islam forbids work on open sites from 12 noon to 3pm.

While the larger firms are obeying the law, smaller ones building villas in the suburbs continue to work from 6am to 2pm without a break. They claim this is the only way they will get their projects on time; building a villa from foundation to occupation takes about eight months. Speeding up the job cuts labour costs and increases the chances of a big profit (between 30 and 40%). Contractors are given jobs by a consultants, usually from another Arab country, such as Egypt. Smaller contractors tend to be less well educated and concerned only with profit, say sources in the construction industry

Some contractors are forcing workers to do extra time. One such firm told 25 Nepalese workers to carry on until 5.30pm; they went on strike, despite the threat of losing two days’ wages. The site engineer, also Nepalese, was then fired and accused of inciting the workers to strike and of attempting to take over the job of the existing manager.

Small contractors pay little heed to safety measures, not supplying helmets or work boots.

They rely on Nepalese labourers because they come cheap. The monthly salary of a Nepalese site engineer ranges from Eu435 to Eu1,087 a month. By contrast an Indian civil engineer’s salary will start at Eu1,087.

Unskilled and semi-skilled Nepalese workers are paid between Eu87 and Eu261 a month – yes, you read that right – and because they get their lunch and a bed at night, they send all of it home. They are tied into five-year contracts, with no possibility of release without the consent of the ‘sponsor’ they will have paid to get them the job in the first place. The rate of suicide among imported labour in all the Gulf states has become a matter for concern.

Apart entirely of the morality of treating fellow humans beings so badly, it is little wonder the quality of most building here leaves so much to be desired. Sand comes in windows and doors leaving everything covered in a light film of dust. In the March storms, rain poured down the stairs of one villa through the door to the roof; an extraordinary sight. Electricity and plumbing cause endless problems.

Rather you than me, folks, if you are thinking of investing in these parts.