The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Courtesy: The Big 5
The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Courtesy: The Big 5
The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Courtesy: The Big 5
The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Courtesy: The Big 5

Construction trade show The Big 5 postponed to 2021


Mary Sophia
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The construction industry's biggest yearly-showcase, The Big 5, is now moved to 2021, the show organisers said.

The event, which comprises five specialised shows, was scheduled to be held from November 23-26 this year. It will instead be held from September 12-15, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ahead of the Dubai Expo 2020, dmg events said in a statement on Monday.

The company said that the decision to postpone the event came "after a thorough consultation with key stakeholders in the wake of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic".

The organisers said the new dates were the closest they could agree to after considering a number of factors including the "health, safety and convenience of all participants, the ease of travel, as well as the global events calendar for the industry".

The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and has attracted more than 67,000 buyers, suppliers and experts from the industry last year.

“It was not an easy decision to take, but we believe it is the best for the construction players we proudly connect and have served since 1979," Ben Greenish, senior vice president at dmg events, said.

The organisers said that a year-long period would help contractors to reconnect with clients, while providing sufficient time for movement restrictions to be lifted.

A number of trade events including the Arabian Travel Market, a major travel industry show in the Middle East, have been moved to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The show is currently being held virtually. The real estate sector's showcase event, Cityscape Global, is however scheduled to be held in November this year.

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Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

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