The report presents the first comprehensive map of migrant worker risks in solar, wind and green hydrogen projects in the Gulf region. Migrant worker testimony reveals abusive working and living conditions, illegal recruitment practices, widespread racial discrimination, and serious workplace health and safety risks for subcontracted and outsourced security guards, technicians, maintenance workers, and delivery drivers for these projects. While assessment of renewable energy company approaches in this report makes clear that better practice is possible – and some companies are leading in this effort for the region – alarming risks remain unaddressed.   

In a deep dive into conditions in the UAE, for example, with its burgeoning renewable energy market, Equidem found 10 of the 11 International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labour to be present, as well as numerous conditions clearly in breach of labour law. Worker testimony speaks directly to the urgent need for private sector stakeholders and governments across the region to ensure an environment in which migrant work is dignified and rights-respecting. 

“The company treats all the workers like animals... I work for twelve hours a day. If I do my work comfortably, the work will not be finished and if the work is not finished, the supervisor will shout at me. Even my salary can be cut.”  

Suaid, an Indian worker subcontracted to pack solar equipment for a European renewable energy developer.

Chronic failure of corporate responsibility  

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reviewed governance policies and public disclosure from 27 renewable energy companies operating across the Gulf, including EDF, Hitachi, NEOM, Qatar Energy and Shell. Researchers found alarming gaps in how these companies respect, assess and mitigate labour rights risks to migrant workers: 

• 14 of the 27 companies published a human rights policy aligned with international standards on human rights, only 12 recognised risks specific to migrant workers.  
• 24 companies published supply chain standards but only 16 were aligned with international labour rights standards.  
• Just 8 out of the 27 companies prohibited worker-paid fees, explicitly stating no worker in their supply chain should pay for a job.  
• No company aligned with the Employer Pays Principle. 
• Only 3 companies – EDF, Engie and TotalEnergies – have entered into a Global Framework Agreement with a global trade union federation*. 
• Only three companies committed to engage in social dialogue with unions as part of their just transition planning. 

“I am sharing with 18 people – we live in a small room and the sanitation is not good. It is overcrowded ... There is not enough ventilation, and it is hard to breathe.”  

Akwasi, a Ghanaian worker subcontracted as a solar parts delivery driver for a multinational energy company.

Unique threats to migrant workers in the Gulf

The continued existence in the Gulf of the notorious Kafala system - where migrant worker passports and identity documents are withheld, and changing employers is forbidden – creates an environment where serious labour rights abuses go unchecked. 

Workers who try to speak out routinely face reprisals. Severe restrictions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, in both law and practice, mean that migrant workers typically have nowhere to go when they experience harm.  

Migrant workers supporting the clean energy transition endure serious climate-related harms in both their home countries and while working on site in the Gulf. Migrant workers are recruited primarily from South Asia and East Africa, where they increasingly face extreme weather events, industrial pollution and disease outbreaks. In the Gulf they endure long hours of hard physical labour, in temperatures that can exceed 55C, for low or no pay (wage theft is common). 

Features of the renewables industry exacerbate vulnerabilities even further. As this report sets out, Gulf migrant workers are also isolated, as projects and worker accommodation are located outside urban areas, with restricted access to amenities and minimal external scrutiny. Contracts are often temporary and insecure; migrant workers are frequently redeployed to different construction sites and change employers regularly. Complex layers of contracting and sub-contracting make it difficult to determine who is in charge and who bears responsibility for worker rights and welfare.  

“Most of the contract promises have been broken... They promised to pay 10 dollars for every hour of overtime, but they only pay five dollars an hour. They also promised to adjust our food allowance every year and they have not even though life has become very expensive in the UAE.”  

Chinyere, a Nigerian security guard subcontracted for a European energy developer. 

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and Equidem call on companies to: 

1. Centre workers within the energy transition by committing to engage in social dialogue with unions where possible, and alternative worker representatives where freedom of association is restricted by law.  
2. Take responsibility to respect and uphold the welfare of migrant workers servicing and subcontracted to their projects in the Gulf region; commit to increased transparency on which and how they work with business partners in the region.  
3. Undertake heightened human rights due diligence commensurate with the increased risk to migrant workers in the Gulf to respect labour rights at every stage of their operations, including before entering into business arrangements locally, given the high-risk environment of the Gulf energy sector.  
4. Establish adequate mechanisms to ensure victims of labour rights violations can access fair remedy.  

Mustafa Qadri, Chief Executive of Equidem, said: 

"The climate crisis demands an urgent transition to renewable energy. To be just it must respect the rights and dignity of the workers who build, service and manage the wind, solar and other projects powering these renewables.  

"Equidem's landmark research with the Resource Centre reveals a troubling pattern of migrant workers being subjected to forced labour-indicators and other exploitative practices in the Gulf that should raise alarm bells. Our report also sets out several concrete recommendations that could provide a path to a just transition built upon respecting the rights and dignity of workers in the renewable sector.  

"The Gulf states and businesses must ensure there is respect for basic labour protections along with freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, fair recruitment, and access to remedies. Gulf renewable businesses must carry out effective human rights due diligence before, during and after projects commence."  

Isobel Archer, Senior Researcher, Labour & Migrant Worker Rights, at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, said:  

“Clearly, the much-needed transition to renewables for Gulf petrostates is unfolding fast, which is excellent news for the climate. However, there can be no ‘just transition’ if the rights of migrant workers constructing and servicing the solar, wind and green hydrogen projects pushing this expansion are not respected.  

“Migrant workers are critical to all Gulf industries and economies. Given the Gulf region’s record on human rights abuses, companies operating in this field must conduct heightened human rights due diligence, assess and mitigate the risk their operations pose to migrant workers in their value chains.

“Migrant workers have spoken up at great personal risk as they endure serious and persistent labour rights abuses in service of renewable energy for the region and the world. 

“The renewables sector has a brief window to implement safeguards for migrant workers if they are to contribute to a truly just transition built on shared prosperity, worker engagement and negotiation, and respect for human rights. The alternative is a transition built on exploitation, and increasing risk of corporate complicity in serious labour rights abuses.  

//ENDS 

Notes to Editors

• Rush to renewables: Toward migrant worker rights and a just energy transition in the Gulf.
• Assessment data of the 27 renewable energy companies available upon request. 
• Pseudonyms have been used to protect the identity of migrant workers who have bravely offered their testimony to support this research project.  
• Media interviews are available upon request. 
• *Companies are credited as having entered into the Global Framework Agreement when there is confirmation from the company, and the recognised union federations, that the agreement is in place.
• Since 2016, the Resource Centre has recorded over 1,000 allegations of abuse impacting migrant workers across the Gulf countries. Nearly one in five of these allegations (182 cases) were recorded in the 18 months to September 2024. 
• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is an international NGO which tracks the human rights impacts of over 10,000 companies in over 180 countries, making information available on our 10-language website. 
• Equidem is a human rights and labour rights not-for-profit working globally to promote the rights of marginalised communities, accountability for serious violations, and building the human rights movement. Our team of worker activists, investigators and policy experts expose injustice, provide solutions for the most intractable human rights challenges and work closely with other grassroots and global civil society to empower the individual and the community. 
• Media enquiries: [email protected]