DUBAI // Hundreds of construction workers in Dubai took to the streets yesterday morning seeking better wages and benefits.
Work stopped almost simultaneously at two construction sites operated by Al Habtoor Engineering - at the Jebel Ali port area and the extension of Al Ghurair City Centre mall in Deira. Al Habtoor is known for building the Burj Al Arab hotel and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
Al Habtoor representatives and police said the strike involved about 300 people. But workers put the number of employees close to 2,000, saying many of those took to streets near their work sites.
Police and labour officials quickly reached the sites and persuaded the crowd to disperse. Teams of riot police were at the scene but took no action.
The demonstration, the first major display of labour discontent since the economic crisis began last year, was triggered by a lack of overtime pay caused by the postponement or cancellation of construction projects.
"Apart from our basic salaries, we are able to manage each month due to the payment we get from overtime work. However, now we barely get any overtime," said Abdul Rahman, an employee of Al Habtoor in Deira. "I just got one hour each day this month."
Mr Rahman said he has been in Dubai for 20 years and makes Dh950 (US$258) a month.
"Including the wages for overtime, I used to get up to Dh1,500 a month. This is what senior people get, but there are many more with lesser salaries," he said. "With salaries like Dh600 or Dh700, what will I eat and what will I send home?"
Workers gathered at the site at around 6am yesterday and worked until 8am, when they left their work stations and walked onto the streets.
Traffic was blocked at the mall work site until police and Ministry of Labour officials arrived. Labour officials were seen urging workers to return to work.
"The officials assured us that they are discussing the matter with the company and a solution would be found in two days. We had told them that there would be no trouble from our side for now," said another worker.
The crowd dispersed around 10am and the workers were taken back to their camps.
Witnesses described similar scenes in Jebel Ali, where Al Habtoor is building an 18-storey hotel. Workers "put obstructions on the road and managed to stop at least eight to 10 vehicles", said a witness who drove past the area. "Traffic was also slowed down. I parked my car and went to clear the barriers. The workers hurled at least half a dozen stones at me when they saw what I was doing."
Police said yesterday that the problem between the company and workers had been resolved.
"There were around 300 labourers, and things were brought under control quickly at both sites," said Col Abdulla al Ghaithi, the acting director of the police's department of organisational safety, protective security and emergency. "There is no problem of salary payment from the company's side and all those aspects are fine. However, work is less and [the workers] are not getting any overtime payment. The workers' main demand is for a salary raise. They have now returned to work. The labour officials and the company will discuss the issue and settle the matter. Besides, it is summer. They get agitated."
Al Habtoor said the protest was a "combination of frustration and payment issues for some of the staff".
"We have agreed with them on their concerns. It's a matter of ensuring that they get good benefits for their work and we get the productivity we are looking for," said David Savage, the managing director of the company.
The official news agency, WAM, quoted the acting director general of the Ministry of Labour, Humaid bin Deemas, as saying that Al Habtoor was meeting its obligations.
"An inspection of the company records clearly showed that it has been paying the wages of the workers without delay or deductions."
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Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
PRISCILLA
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
INFO
