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Workers angered by low salaries and mistreatment smashed cars and offices in a riot that interrupted construction Wednesday of what is meant to be the world's tallest skyscraper.

Some 2,500 workers on the Burj Dubai tower and surrounding housing developments chased and beat security officers Tuesday night, then broke into offices where they smashed computers and files, witnesses said. They said about two dozen cars and construction machines were wrecked.

When the laborers, who work for the Dubai-based firm Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, returned to the vast construction site Wednesday, they demanded better pay and employment conditions and refused to return to work. In a sympathy strike, thousands of laborers building a terminal at Dubai International Airport also lay down their tools.

Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/22/uae.riots.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Did anyone witness it?
What is happening now?
Cheers!

eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkk

it was bound to happen sooner or later though

Andyba wrote:Workers angered by low salaries and mistreatment smashed cars and offices in a riot that interrupted construction Wednesday of what is meant to be the world's tallest skyscraper.

Some 2,500 workers on the Burj Dubai tower and surrounding housing developments chased and beat security officers Tuesday night, then broke into offices where they smashed computers and files, witnesses said. They said about two dozen cars and construction machines were wrecked.

When the laborers, who work for the Dubai-based firm Al Naboodah Laing O'Rourke, returned to the vast construction site Wednesday, they demanded better pay and employment conditions and refused to return to work. In a sympathy strike, thousands of laborers building a terminal at Dubai International Airport also lay down their tools.

Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/03/22/uae.riots.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Did anyone witness it?
What is happening now?
Cheers!

Wow now those guys have guts to show how important they are for Dubai community. I was rather surprised that many companies dont even provide basic health insurance and on top of it low salaries...It's time to form an union or org that supports the cause for these type of workers. Rather surprised to see in CNN. After the port dela failure many ppl know where is Dubai indeed! GO STRIKE!!!

Finally these guys are starting to realise the power that they have. Anyone know if they're back working yet? I mean, were their problems solved?

Just found this:

If you don't like the labour situation then click here. (no it's not spam or a virus and your computer will not be bombarded with p<3n if you do)

Question:

When is a riot not a riot?

Answer:

When it happens in the UAE and the authorities try to gag any reporting on it by the media because it's not a story about the wonderful world of Dubai.

Quite rightly this story crept out belatedly thanks to correspondents and when you look at some of the conditions these thousands of workers have to endure it's not surprising they're bloody angry:

From Emirates Today:

The workers, who earn about Dh450 a month, said they were angry at having to spend an extra three unpaid hours on site each day because of their transport arrangements.

They said buses taking them to work picked them up from their accommodation at 5am – two hours before they were due to start at 7am – and added they had to wait an hour after they finished work at 6pm before they could be transported back to their camps.

They also wanted better medical care and humane treatment by foremen.

450 a month for these hours? It's taking the piss quite honestly and it's time people were treated properly and given a fair day's pay for a fair day's work instead of employers scandalously trying to get away with slave labour whenever they can.