"Globally, the race to the bottom is gathering momentum. U.S. corporations export jobs to Mexico to cash in on cheap labor. In no time at all, though, tens of thousands of Mexicans lose their jobs to Asians who will sweat for less."
By SHERWOOD ROSS
So who is surprised construction workers are treated worse than dogs in the United Arab Emirates?
Who is surprised to find migrant workers from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh building skyscrapers for just 10% of the average UAE wage of $2,106 per month?
Who is surprised to read a Human Rights Watch(HRW) report showing employers' illegally holding back wages for months, withholding passports as "security" so workers can't quit, and allowing recruiters charge shyster fees?
Who is surprised a 1980 UAE minimum wage law has never been enforced?
Who is surprised HRW found "there is no public record of a single case where it (the government) has penalized an employer with fines or imprisonment for failing to pay wages, or any other breaches of the labor law?"
Who is surprised the bodies of 880 construction workers from the Indian sub-continent nations cited above were shipped home in caskets in 2004 alone? (That's a death rate comparable to annual U.S. troop losses in Iraq.)
