Main Point
This article discusses the stratification and separation of
migrant workers and the poor conditions provided to them in the
Summary
The conditions under which labor has been organized in the
Gulf region is comparable to that of Nazi, Stalinist, and Apartheid labor
structures. 75 percent of the labor
force in the Gulf are immigrants primarily from
Workers of the
World
Where the different immigrant groups are sent in the Gulf are largely determined by the areas which were colonized by Western countries. The first problem that American and British oil companies faced was a need for labor. Locals were small in number and resistant to working in the oil industry. Thus it was necessary to bring in migrant workers and organize them in a way to avoid problems of opposition. Organization of the labor force was often outlawed and the different ethnicities and races of workers were structured in a way that made the formation of labor unions difficult.
The migrant labor force began with Indians brought by the
British to work in the oil fields, but once
Dealers in Human
Cargo
Workers are often brought to the Gulf by state-operated agencies or by private companies that are given contracts from the oil corporations or directly from the Gulf state in order to recruit employment. The contractors charge expensive amounts of money to prospective workers that can take numerous years to pay off, which cause workers to work more and often results in the workers paying fees just to find themselves stranded. Workers are often exploited to such a degree that governments are forced to intercede. It is also not unusual for a worker to find upon his/her arrival that the terms expressed in their contract have changed, which usually results in longer hours and lower wages. This is referred to as contract substitution.
There are also a large number of unofficial workers that migrate there in order to find jobs. They use various methods to arrive at the Gulf and once there they can obtain false documents and find work through agents that specifically deal in employing illegal immigrants. The level of exploitation of the illegal workers are much harsher than the legitimate workers.
Indentured
Servitude
Working conditions in the Gulf were extremely poor, the work was dangerous, the workers worked long hours for little money, and as immigrants, they had very few legal rights.
They must be sponsored
by a local employer and cannot legally organize trade unions, own property,
switch jobs, stay in the country without working or leave without the permission
of their boss. Indeed, passports
are usually taken away upon employment.
Medical care is often poor or non-existent, wages are commonly withheld,
and benefits, such as free passage home or annual leave, are frequently
blocked. If workers protest, they
can be easily arrested, jailed, ill-treated and repatriated.
If the immigrants are not renting from private landlords (which costs about 60 percent of their salary), they are often placed in labor camps that are surrounded by barbed wire and security. These labor camps are usually 36 man dorms with one bathroom, and may actually have laundry facilities, a movie theater, a cafeteria, and a weight-lifting room. Contractor camps (which are more widespread) are even worse, with people living in metal shacks, trailers, tents, or huts with a shortage of blankets, fans, and sanitation facilities. Most migrants work 10-16 hours a day, every day (often without holidays), with one day off each month to run errands. They are deprived of social security and are also frequently assaulted, harassed, or tortured.
Incomes are often based on the worker’s race or ethnicity, with the Europeans and Americans earning the most, then the Arabs, and then the Asians. The Asians are stratified so that Koreans earn the most, then Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, and Thais, and the lowest paid are the Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis. This in addition to the division of labor among the immigrant groups pits each ethnic group against the others and discourages organization. The Gulf leaders’ avoidance on relying on a single ethnic, religions, or national group of immigrants is also a key factor in the governments’ control over labor. In general, the closer the cultural similarity, the more the local rulers felt threatened.
Women Workers
Women are mostly employed in the Gulf area as domestic
servants, and are generally from the countries of
Decomposition and Militarization
Despite the measures that the
~Summary by Jean Miaw