A visit to Saadiyat Island reveals 'light and airy' labour accommodations

From special correspondent

Sian Roberts

Driving past the dunes on

Saadiyat Island

, it is hard to imagine the new developments and projects that will soon take their place.

Billboards show pictures of highly anticipated projects such as the

Louvre

and

Guggenheim

and a 9km beach lined with five-star hotels. Once completed 160,000 people are expected to live on the island. However, this massive development needs a workforce to build it.

Saadiyat Construction Village

is currently home to 3,000 workers, but its population could rise as high as 40,000 depending on future needs.

The treatment of Saadiyat Island's workers

by

Human Rights Watch

trapping workers in a vicious cycle where they were unable to leave their jobs because of huge to debts owed to intermediaries.

Tourism Development & Investment Company

(TDIC), the Government-owned company overseeing the development of the island, is keen to distance itself from this image and has developed workers accommodation well above the UAE's usual standards. During a tour of its facilities on Monday with the Minister of Labour and Minister of Economy, as well as journalists and ambassadors, TDIC executives pointed out the high standard of accommodations they were providing for workers.

A visit to one building in the construction village showed a light and airy living environment, with a library, TV room, computer suite, grocery and game room with pool and ping pong tables. TDIC is also building four cricket pitches for the workers.

It was a far cry from the descriptions given by Human Rights Watch last year.