Labor Issues
The UAE has a large population of expatriate construction workers, mainly from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. With trade unions outlawed, the poor conditions and low wages have brought the UAE some unwelcome headlines. In Dubai, the Government has done much to guarantee limited rights to such workers, particularly with regard to ensuring that they are paid on time. However, from time to time labor disputes, strikes and protests do still occur. With laborers often on a daily wage of around US$8, and the land that Emaar builds its developments on being essentially free, the price of Dubai property seems to be somewhat disconnected from the fundamentals. In July 2010 American businessman Lionel Lombard filed a $61 million dollar lawsuit against Emaar and its Chairman Mohamed Alabbar in a California federal court alleging he had been falsely imprisoned for 2 years and tortured in UAE prisons because he had spoken up on behalf of Emaar foreign workers and alleged Apartheid was being practiced by Emaar.
Read more about this topic: Emaar Properties
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