7/23/2020 UAE's migrant workers fret over future in coronavirus economy - Reuters The UAE government communication office did not respond to emailed questions about migrant worker welfare. In May, the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said the Gulf state was committed to protecting the rights of all workers, state news agency WAM reported. DEBTS Those in blue collar jobs are the most vulnerable. They are paid low wages, work long hours and often live in cramped dormitories that have been coronavirus hotbeds. Many also pay fees to recruiters in their home country, a practice common for low paying jobs in the Gulf. Kapil, who said he paid a recruiter 175,000 Nepali rupees ($1,450) for his UAE job, is not sure when he will work again. His employer told staff they would only be paid when they worked and it was unclear whether there would be any work next month, he said. Kapil said he had been earning around $600 a month - six times more than his teacher salary in Nepal - working up to 12 hours a day, six days a week at the airport. He said not working had left him stressed and unable to provide for his wife, child and elderly parents in Nepal. Kapil, who showed his employment contract and other documents to Reuters, asked that his full name not be published and his employer not identified over fears he could face repercussions. Arriving in the UAE last October, Kapil thought he would work at the airport for a few years before finding a better job, possibly using his teaching skills. Now he just hopes to work until the end of the year to pay back his loans. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-emirates-jobs/uaes-migrant-workers-fret-over-future-in-coronavirus-economy-idUSKCN24… 3/11