{"id":48287,"date":"2023-04-05T10:48:41","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T09:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatechangenews.com\/?p=48287"},"modified":"2023-04-05T10:48:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T09:48:41","slug":"migrant-workers-face-risks-building-europes-new-gas-supplies-in-the-uae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/04\/05\/migrant-workers-face-risks-building-europes-new-gas-supplies-in-the-uae\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant workers face risks building Europe&#8217;s new gas supplies in the UAE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">After four years working in construction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Amer, a 23-year-old migrant labourer from Pakistan decided to move to the oil and gas sector in search of better living and working conditions. Then his friend died.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Just days after Amer was offered the new job, a close friend working as a contractor for an oil and gas company died after getting lost in the desert. Other workers told Amer it was work-related, but officially, the man\u2019s death was listed as natural causes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Despite knowing the circumstances of his friend\u2019s death, Amer still celebrated his new contract with the National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), a UAE-based engineering and procurement company, by ordering sweets for his family back home in Lahore, Pakistan. It was a better paid job, Amer said, and \u201call work is risky here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">UAE and its neighbor, Qatar, are in the midst of a major build out of infrastructure to increase gas production and exports, encouraged in part by Europe\u2019s recent demand for alternatives to Russian gas. They will rely on migrant labour to get it done.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/03\/28\/revealed-how-shell-cashed-in-on-dubious-carbon-offsets-from-chinese-rice-paddies\/\"><strong>Revealed: How Shell<\/strong> cashed in on dubious carbon offsets from Chinese rice paddies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">But stories like Amer\u2019s friend&#8217;s are not uncommon. In 2022, a coalition of non-government organizations, Vital Signs, <a href=\"https:\/\/fairsq.org\/vital-signs\/\">estimated<\/a> that 10,000 South Asian migrant workers die each year in the Gulf region, and as many as half are reported as only \u201ccardiac arrests\u201d or \u201cnatural causes,\u201d a suspiciously high percentage that potentially obscures how many of these deaths were work-related.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Industry observers and workers note that the UAE\u2019s oil and gas sector has better safety protocols than other industries in the country, but they also point to a lack of transparency and potential conflict of interests in how work-related injuries or accidents get reported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">A Climate Home News investigation found that, while migrant workers will build a major gas expansion in the UAE to supply Europe with energy alternatives, these workers face harsh conditions and a lack of transparency when risk turns deadly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Activists warn that the UAE&#8217;s gas plans could clash with the country\u2019s role as president in the next round of UN climate negotiations, Cop28. The president of the upcoming Cop28, Sultan Al Jaber, is also the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The International Energy Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2021\/05\/18\/iea-end-fossil-fuel-expansion-now-net-zero-energy-emissions-2050\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has said<\/a> that limiting global warming to the Paris Accord target of 1.5C requires no new development of oil and gas fields.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48357\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48357\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48357\" src=\"https:\/\/climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/adnocworkers2-min-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A group of migrant workers outside an oil and gas project in Abu Dhabi\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-298x168.jpg 298w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-112x63.jpg 112w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05024826\/adnocworkers2-min-2048x1153.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48357\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Migrant workers for an ADNOC oil and gas project chatting on the street in Abu Dabhi, UAE. (Photo: anonymous based in UAE)<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Gas expansion<\/h3>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">As Europe searched for quick replacements for Russian gas last year, several countries turned to UAE to cover their needs, including France, Germany and Austria. Germany\u2019s agreement with Adnoc covers at least two years. The European country has also signed a 15-year contract with Qatar and recently opened two floating import terminals. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Niklas H\u00f6hne, a climate policy expert and co-founder of NewClimate Institute, says the German government is consiering building up to 13 import terminals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cIt is a huge overcapacity if it is built,\u201d says H\u00f6hne, adding gas deliveries from existing pipelines from Norway would be more efficient.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">UAE\u2019s state-owned energy company, Adnoc, is boosting its gas production to stop importing gas from Qatar and expand its own exports. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Qatar already exports more liquified natural gas (LNG) than any other country in the world. It is now expanding gas production in the offshore North Field, with plans to increase exports by nearly 60% by 2027. Both countries\u2019 energy ministers have suggested that they will keep producing gas for several decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The expansion is already underway in the UAE. Amer\u2019s new company has been hired by Adnoc to develop a new $548 million pipeline to expand gas production in the Lower Zakum field in the shallow waters offshore of Abu Dhabi.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/04\/03\/skills-shortage-threatens-south-africa-8-5-billion-clean-energy-transition\/\"><strong>Uncertainty on<\/strong> renewable retraining frightens South Africa\u2019s coal communities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The country has also revived plans for a LNG export terminal in Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz choke point, to ship gas to both Asia and Europe, and is seeking to speed up construction. The terminal would more than double UAE\u2019s current export capacity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">At least two leading contracting groups have shown interest in developing the project, with bids likely to come in the next months, energy news outlet Upstream <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upstreamonline.com\/exclusive\/rivals-lock-horns-for-giant-adnoc-lng-export-terminal-project\/2-1-1422300\">reported<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">These projects will be built by the country\u2019s migrant workforce. Almost 8 million people, mainly from South Asian countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, work across all industries in the UAE, and represent 90% of the country\u2019s total workforce, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilo.org\/beirut\/countries\/united-arab-emirates\/WCMS_533531\/lang--en\/index.htm\">according<\/a> to the United Nation\u2019s International Labour Organization (ILO). Amer, for instance, is the main income earner of his family of five back home in Pakistan.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48358\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48358\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48358\" src=\"https:\/\/climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/adnocworkers3-min-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An Adnoc worker walking by an oil and gas project\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-212x168.jpg 212w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-424x337.jpg 424w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-768x610.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-1536x1219.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05033336\/adnocworkers3-min-2048x1626.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Adnoc worker walking by an oil and gas infrastructure project in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: anonymous based in the UAE)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">There are no publicly shared figures on how many workers are currently employed in the UAE\u2019s oil and gas sector, but 30% of the country\u2019s GDP is directly based on the industry. Adnoc alone has approximately 55,000 direct employees, according to one 2016 report, not counting contractors and other third-party workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">High risk in Lower Zakum<\/h3>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Amer\u2019s friend went missing in the desert while working as a jeep driver on a pipeline construction project. He and his colleague were missing for two days. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">By the time the vehicle was traced, he had died and his colleague was in critical condition, according to an Adnoc health &amp; safety officer, who agreed to share limited information about the death because of fears of retribution. Adnoc did not make public a complete disclosure of the event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The death was formally ruled a heart attack by Adnoc and other government officials, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cIn case of serious accidents or deaths, it becomes a police case and a medical expert will conduct a postmortem [examination],\u201d the health and safety officer said. \u201cIf it is deduced a heart attack or a natural death, then companies don\u2019t have to pay families.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/03\/21\/nations-seek-compromise-on-fossil-fuel-phase-out-ahead-of-cop28\/\"><strong>Nations seek<\/strong> compromise on fossil fuel phase-out ahead of Cop28<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The source said that government officials do influence the death reports that medical experts produce.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cCompanies have to report accidents to government authorities such as the Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center (Oshad). But if you are the government authority, like Adnoc, you will usually conduct investigations yourself,\u201d says the health officer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cEven when police and doctors are involved to assess a situation, it is hard to really assure there is no conflict of interest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\">A spokeperson for Adnoc told Climate Home News the &#8220;health and safety&#8221; of its workforce is a top priority, but offered no comment on the specific event or the potential conflict of interests.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Any work-related incident is thoroughly investigated, and learnings are shared internally. We include contractor activities in all our safety approaches and data, and we value all of the people that work for ADNOC,&#8221; the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Activists have previously called out the lack of transparency around the high rate of unexplained heart attack-related or natural deaths of young migrant workers across the Gulf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cThere is clearly a problem with the manner in which deaths are investigated and certified in the UAE and the Gulf more broadly,\u201d says Nicholas McGeehan, founding co-director of Fair\/Square.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cThis is particularly true when the deaths involve non-nationals and the lower down the social strata you go, the more likely it is that a person&#8217;s death won&#8217;t be investigated even in cases where employer negligence is suspected,\u201d McGeehan added.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48359\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48359\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48359\" src=\"https:\/\/climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/adnocworkers-4-min-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Migrant workers chatting outside an oil and gas project in Abu Dhabi.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-241x168.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-484x337.jpg 484w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/03\/05034014\/adnocworkers-4-min-2048x1427.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48359\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Migrant workers chatting outside an oil and gas project in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: anonymous based in UAE)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The main risks on oil and gas infrastructure projects like Lower Zakum are fires, equipment-related injuries, falling overboard, and inhaling poisonous gas, according to an Adnoc engineer who has worked on offshore expansion projects and who also wished to remain anonymous over similar concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">While Adnoc&#8217;s risk assessment controls are generally effective, the engineer said, when there are accidents, they rarely get reported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cThe main issue is that the bureaucracy sweeps these things under the rug, especially if the victim is a low-skilled person,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there was more transparency and accountability, even the rare accidents will be taken seriously because of negative public perceptions,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2023\/03\/28\/cop28-host-uae-tried-to-weaken-global-shippings-climate-ambition\/\"><strong>Cop28 host UAE<\/strong> tried to weaken global shipping\u2019s climate ambition<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The wages are also not proportionate to the high risks of the work that low-skilled migrant workers do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cEngineers will get paid okay but low skilled workers really don\u2019t,\u201d the engineer said. \u201cIt might be better than other industries but it is still extremely exploitative given the intense work that is done.\u201d A low skilled contractor will typically get paid around US$300 per month, according to several workers spoken to about their wages. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Rising temperatures could make the job even more challenging for workers. A 2015 MIT <a href=\"https:\/\/cee.mit.edu\/study-persian-gulf-could-experience-deadly-heat\/\">study<\/a> estimated that, under a very high emissions scenario, temperatures in Gulf nations may cross the limit of survivability for humans in the second half of the century. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Already, the Gulf is one of the regions with the hottest weather anywhere on Earth according to a 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aaw1838\">study<\/a> published in the journal Science Advances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">A risky \u2014 but attractive \u2014 job <\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Mohammed Amer says that he\u2019s well aware that the work in oil and gas is a \u201cdangerous environment.\u201d He was willing to take the job in the hope for better pay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cI had been suffering for four years working in the heat and not getting anything in return. I moved to this work because even if I am still suffering, at least I will get something in return,\u201d says Amer. \u201cAll work is risky here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_48360\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48360\" src=\"https:\/\/climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/adnocworker-min-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-261x168.jpg 261w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-523x337.jpg 523w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-1536x990.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.climatechangenews.com\/files\/2023\/04\/05035003\/adnocworker-min-2048x1321.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-48360\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A worker at an oil and gas project in Abu Dhabi leaving the site. (Photo: anonymous based in UAE)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">The Adnoc health and safety officer says that the UAE\u2019s oil and gas sector offers relatively better living standards to migrant workers, but more risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cAccidents can be catastrophic if they occur. This might be why they also offer relatively better living conditions for workers,\u201d the officer said. \u201cWhatever company is working on an Adnoc project, for example, must provide accommodation, food, and other basic facilities of a certain standard that are far superior to what is being offered elsewhere in the UAE.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">But workers who are directly employed with large companies are the primary beneficiaries of these living conditions. Large, well-established firms like NPCC and Adnoc have to answer to a range of stakeholders that include shareholders and the government. Third-party companies are rarely held to the same standards. Most companies also hire third party contractors for construction and engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\"> \u201cThe high rate of deaths among the migrant workers who migrate to major destination countries such as the Gulf after passing rigorous medical examinations in Nepal has been a sign of considerable concern,\u201d Anurag Devkota, a human rights lawyer, specialising in labour migration in Nepal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cIt is quite concerning that the majority of causes of death are either unknown or are being reported without a full postmortem. These deaths can be prevented with greater effort from both employers and the government of the country of destination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">Varun Jangir, a migrant oil rig worker at gas fields and off-shore rigs in the UAE has been working for a third-party contractor for about a decade. His monthly salary is AED1700 ($460) but he does experience wage delays regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectable-text copyable-text iq0m558w\" dir=\"ltr\"><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cI have never been hired by the company I am working for directly, they always just rent us out from our agency,\u201d he says. <\/span><span class=\"selectable-text copyable-text\">\u201cI don\u2019t know if working for big companies is better, I have never experienced it but I know that nobody cares if we are paid or not, or if we live or die, and our employer will never even get in trouble for our deaths.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Climate Home spoke with migrant workers in the UAE, who face harsh conditions and a lack of transparency when risk turns deadly.","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":48355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,598,3859],"tags":[4044,482,520],"coauthors":[4994],"class_list":["post-48287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","category-fossil-fuels","category-world","tag-fossil-fuels","tag-gas","tag-uae","type-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Migrant workers face risks building the UAE&#039;s gas expansion plans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Climate Home interviewed migrant workers in the UAE&#039;s oil and gas sector, who are facing new risks building a major gas expansion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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