Over 800 workers stranded in Dubai
Summary
Date Reported: 3 Apr 2020
Location: United Arab Emirates
Companies
Sea Bird Supermarket - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 800
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 45 - Africa , Retail , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 300 - India , Retail , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 200 - Nepal , Retail , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 200 - Pakistan , Retail , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 50 - Sri Lanka , Retail , Gender not reported )Issues
Right to Food , Recruitment Fees , Contract Substitution , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Restricted mobility , Debt Bondage , Freedom of MovementResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Workers complained to the police who told them it was a labour case; when they tried filing a labour complaint they were told as it was a fraud case the police would be responsible. The supermarket's owner stated that they had only recently acquired the business; they claimed responsibility lay with the previous owner. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reached out to invite Sea Bird Supermarket to comment on the allegations; it did not reply. In May 2020, Migrant Rights reported that the supermarket has since rebranded as Bluebird but the UAE Government has yet to resolve the issue.
Source type: NGO
Over 800 workers, including around 60 women, employed or recruited by Sea Bird Supermarket have been left stranded for more than a month in Dubai. All of them have paid... recruitment fees ('document fees') to the employer...
a worker representative says that the ordeal seems to be a case of outright recruitment fraud...
25 of these workers are in a dire state and require immediate help, as they have no food or accommodation... the police said this was a labour case. When they tried filing a labour complaint, they were told this was a fraud case and only the police would be able to deal with them.