The Tourism Development and Investment Company has committed to improve conditions at the Saadiyat Construction Village.
The Tourism Development and Investment Company has committed to improve conditions at the Saadiyat Construction Village.
The Tourism Development and Investment Company has committed to improve conditions at the Saadiyat Construction Village.
The Tourism Development and Investment Company has committed to improve conditions at the Saadiyat Construction Village.

Saadiyat developer promises changes after report into conditions


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ABU DHABI // The master developer of Saadiyat is prioritising worker welfare for the island's thousands of labourers, but more work is needed, a study has found.

The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), the auditor, noted improvements regarding issues such as retention of passports and increased commitment to welfare, but said most workers were still paying fees to outside recruiters to get jobs in the UAE.

The study was compiled from more than 1,300 interviews with workers between June last year and May this year, and is the first annual report from an independent monitor presented to the island's developer, Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

TDIC tasked PWC with evaluating compliance with its Employment Practices Policy (EPP), the set of standards developed in 2009 for contractors working on Saadiyat.

"TDIC faces significant challenges in implementing the EPP, operating against the backdrop of a complex construction sector in the Middle East region with established practices and norms that are not necessarily all aligned with the EPP requirements," the report said.

PWC found more than two-thirds of workers had paid recruitment or relocation fees in their home countries to work on the island's construction sites, "a key issue that needs to be addressed". According to the EPP, contractors must reimburse employees for these fees but most workers could not produce receipts. Other contractors said they believed they did not have to repay workers because none of them were recruited specifically for projects on Saadiyat Island.

Various estimates have found that workers paid between US$900 (Dh3,305) and $3,350 in recruitment fees to get jobs in the UAE.

PWC noted that TDIC has little control over recruitment practices overseas but the developer "now requires contractors to conduct their own diligence on recruitment agents used to recruit workers and to provide a list of these agents".

Some workers noted maintenance issues at the Saadiyat Construction Village, where 55 per cent of the interviewed workers lived. Complaints included poor sanitation and faulty air conditioning.

TDIC has committed to improving accommodation and forcing all contractors to reimburse labourers for recruitment fees.

"We recognise that transparency on these findings is important and we have already taken action to improve the areas highlighted," said Sultan Al Mahmoud, the chairman of TDIC's corporate social responsibility committee, in a statement released by Wam, the state news agency.

"We realise that there are certain points that need further attention and, as always, TDIC will continue its commitment to working with all relevant parties - its contractors and partners - in overcoming any challenges to secure an internationally recognised standard of living for workers."

A revised EPP has been developed and includes penalties for noncompliance. A percentage of the fines received will be used to enhance the island's welfare and living conditions.

The report also noted that some areas of concern had shown significant improvement. During an initial visit, the monitor found that 89 per cent of workers had possession of their passports. That figure climbed to 97 per cent.

The report includes interviews with Saadiyat's main contractors and a sample of eight subcontractors working on four major projects. Investigators also visited the Construction Village and six other accommodation facilities, carrying out unscheduled interviews and tours.

TDIC has pledged to implement new programmes this year, including conducting surveys with labourers and studying the impact of working on Saadiyat on their livelihoods.

What is a black hole?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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QUARTER-FINAL

Wales 20-19 France

Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2

France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

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A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

Conflict, drought, famine

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Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
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The candidates

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Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

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Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request

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AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

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Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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