The guards who keep 60,000 immigrant workers safe

ABU DHABI // At first, the process seems mundane. At the gates of a labour camp on the outskirts of the city, the workers got through identity checks. If they are carrying bags, the security guards do a quick search. Even vehicles are not exempt; guards check the boot, too.

It is an exercise in caution. Every day, workers and the guards go through the same routine. Both sides know it well but the workers sometimes do not understand the need for daily scrutiny; the guards say it is necessary to keep the peace. "We are firm with them but we do not engage, especially when they get upset," said Shiv Das, a guard from India, who works for Adsecc, a security firm that helps run several camps in and around the capital and provides personnel who supervise more than 60,000 workers.

"We get yelled at for checking cars and ID, but it is our duty and we must do it." The guards are discouraged from becoming friends with the workers so they are not taken advantage of, or talked into compromising security. From breaking up fights to aiding workers who fall ill, the guards deal with a wide range of issues. "We speak politely but we are not friendly," said Zeld Ongue, a guard from the Philippines. "We have sacrificed friendship for duty."

Sometimes, the guards rely on little else but a visual inspection to find banned materials. Other times, a sound check is revealing. They call it "the clink-clink of pants", the sound made when workers try to smuggle in bottles of alcohol. One day the guards received a tip about a worker who had illegally procured alcohol and was selling it from his room. When they approached the room the worker ran away. Instead of chasing him, they waited patiently for him to return. When he returned and was confronted with the cache he confessed and the police were eventually called.

"We are like their big brothers. We tell them when they are wrong," Mr Das said. Ultimately the security guards and their supervisors decide which activities they consider criminal and which not. For example, fire alarms in the labourers' rooms can go off as many as 20 times a day. Someone is likely smoking shisha or a cigarette; or cooking; or burning incense or a candle. Since these are minor infractions, the guards will make a note in their log books but will not report the incident to authorities. Unless it leads to a fire, of course.

On other occasions, the guards have to deal with more serious issues that can stem from the slightest misunderstanding. Nikolai Ehlers, a regional security operations manager with Adsecc, recalls an incident where a Pakistani worker tripped over the foot of an Indian worker and fell at a crowded food counter in the dining area of a labour camp. When the Pakistani stood up he was dazed and bleeding from the mouth, having lost a tooth. He staggered over to his group of friends who became instantly agitated.

Before he could explain the situation, an accident threatened to escalate into violence. At a labour camp, the next step could be a riot. "A riot can start any time. And over the slightest misunderstanding, it spirals," Mr Ehlers said. Delayed salary payments, a lack of water or even a broken generator can start trouble. While they are there primarily to look after the workers, some of guards said their main concern was to keep "outsiders out".

"They don't monitor us as much as they monitor those outsiders who are coming and going from our camps," said Balbir Singh, a worker from the Indian state of Punjab. The security guards are the first to be called when there is a problem in the camp. If there is a theft, then it is up to the guards to call the police. If there is a fight, they will try to neutralise it. If the situation accelerates, it is up to them to call the security company and the police.

The workers call the guards Nathoor, a colloquial term in Arabic that means watchman or a person of authority. "It is not up to the guards whether we like them or not. It is up to the worker," said Mushahid Khan, a Pakistani worker who lives in Musaffah. "If they are good or bad, if they get in trouble for what they are doing and talking back, then they will tell you that they don't like the security guard. But if you don't give them reason to bother you, then they won't. They have a lot to worry about otherwise."

The vast regional differences between workers of the same nationality also leads to quirky complaints. "Sometimes you get the funniest of complaints," Mr Ehlers said. "One group says they don't like cauliflower in their food and want it replaced with potatoes or want chapatis over Arabic bread. "For us, we say that is fine because when we relay it to the companies, for example, if they are saving on food wastage, there are savings in the long run and everyone is happy."

Mr Ehlers recalled an incident when two cleaners started a fight over who got to use a new broom. One punched the other in the nose, and soon he was bleeding. "Are we going to expel him? They have gone through such an ordeal to get here. You don't want to hand them over to the police and ruin their life over a broom." @Email:sbhattacharya@thenational.ae

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)

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Our legal columnist

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Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
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You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

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AL%20BOOM

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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

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10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m

4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m

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