The investigation, published by Reuters, accuses the UAE of enslaving and exploiting African migrants and expelling them without receiving their accrued salaries from companies that refuse to pay them.
And the story began and was widely covered by international human rights organizations: “Wage theft in the UAE, the expulsion of Africans and their future confiscation.”
According to the testimonies, a significant number of Africans were arrested the day before their salaries were paid and deported without identification documents, and were arrested by their former superiors because hundreds of African immigrants deported from Abu Dhabi had to start without initial documents.
African workers in the UAE are victims of slavery and wage theft
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“From his area in northwestern Cameroon,” he said: “My boss still owes me two weeks’ salary. I text him but he doesn’t answer.”
In early September, the United Arab Emirates confirmed that it had arrested and deported nearly 400 people on charges of human trafficking, rape and extortion, allegations that migrants and human rights groups described as false.
Mass layoffs of migrant workers are common in the UAE and often lead to “wage theft”, where migrants are sent home suddenly and cannot receive unpaid wages for weeks – and sometimes months.
Since he was brought home, Cameroon has sent a message to his former boss at the WhatsApp Golden Tower Gift Shop asking him to transfer 900 dirhams ($ 245.04) to his arrears.
Like the rest of the workers arrested in June, he was fired without a chance to recover his property, including his ATM card and professional certificates.
The report cites the testimony of Daniel Ojo, a 31-year-old Nigerian who said he had not received a two-month Magic World wage for public maintenance services until he was fired.
He added: “He’s about 4,500 dirhams ($ 1,225) in arrears. I chatted with my boss and then he stopped responding to my messages.”
And he ended his testimony by emphasizing: “He is willing not to give me money because I no longer exist.”
According to the United Nations, there are about 10 million people living in the UAE, more than 80% of whom are foreign immigrants who send remittances to their families.
This is a lifeline for many families, as remittances account for 4% of Nigeria ‘s GDP by 2020.
According to the report, wage theft is common among immigrants in the UAE, and a support group, the Center for Business Resources and Human Rights, said that 67% of cases of worker abuse in the UAE involve allegations of non-payment.
Saeed al-Habisi, director of human rights at the UAE State Department, said UAE law requires employers to hire workers for any job, regardless of whether they are fired or have a criminal record.
Al-Habsi said in a written comment: “Termination of the right of residence does not prevent employees from pursuing complaints against employers for non-payment of wages through legal channels. However, complaints must be filed within one year.
The Emirati official declined to say whether any of the workers detained in June had complained or were allowed to return, but “in general, those who have been expelled from the UAE for serious criminal offenses “Arabic is prevented indefinitely.”
The report shows that none of the interviewed workers heard about the assistance provided in the UAE and could not afford to hire a lawyer.
He said: “Workers do not know who they can turn to, what their rights are, and documents may not be provided in their mother tongue, so the idea that vulnerable workers can move in this system is not possible.
Parvati Dewey, a researcher who has worked on wage theft in the UAE, said that migrants have rarely been able to achieve their goals without the financial and legal support of international aid workers.