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UAE Embassy: Overdue of Labour and Building Materials Payments

Storyline:National News

Public demonstration is done by Somali citizens in front of UAE Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia. The demonstrators are bitterly complaining about the Emirates Embassy officials for lack of payment of casual labour dues and local companies that provided building materials that went into building the embassy and two more other centres.

This act of unsettled payments is a violation of human rights as pointed out by Somali lawyers and said the Embassy deserves to be taken into full accountability.

Three centres have been constructed situated in Mogadishu run by United Arab Emirates and the casual labourers who carried out the manual construction work under the scorching heat have not been paid their dues up to date.

Why Protest?

The people who are demonstrating are made of suppliers who provided the building materials and causal labours whose sweat has not been paid that have no steady job but survive on informal work.

Complainant Workers

Mohamed is one of the causal labourers who took part in the construction on the Embassy where UAE is operating from in Mogadishu. He was obstructed to get into the Embassy by the UAE officials in order not to pay his rightful dues that he earned through his hands.

“My name is Mohamed. I worked for fifteen days for the Emirates and have not been paid. I have been visiting their embassy for more than fifteen days and no official is willing to pay me. I am here today for this reason. I am a professional plumber and worked in the Emirates hospital building. I have been surviving on credit while working with Emirates and now my creditors are on my neck and have no idea when I will get my hard work dues from them.”

Another plumber by the name Muse Mohamud who was also one of the casual workers in the Emirates hospital building is resentfully complaining his lack of payment by his contractor till today and requesting to be paid what he earned through hradwork.

“I, Muse Mohamed, a plumber worked for the Emirates in the construction of their hospital for fifteen days and have not been paid. Honestly I don’t know how to get my money from them.”

Ahmed Abdikarim is another labourer who took part in the erection of Emirati Embassy and points out that he has not received his rightful payment up to now. It is very unfortunate he is refused entry into the embassy everyday as though he is a beggar.

“People assume that I work with the Emirates simply because of coming here every day for the last eight days just to get payment for the fifteen days duration I worked with them.” Abdikarim said.

Complain by Business People

On the hand, there are business people who are affected by this affliction from the Emirati Embassy. They provided building materials to the Embassy and have not been given any payment so far.

Abdirahman Yahye Sheikh is one the businessmen the Emirati Embassy took building materials from and has the same problem – lack of payment.

“I am angrily complaining of unfair treatment and mainly came here today because of enormous problems to my business. My goods comprising of iron steel, wood planks, cements and bricks is taken without payment and I am just a worker. Now my job is under a threat.

Lawyer Ahmed Ibrahim who is acting on behalf of the casual labourers on constitutional affairs mentioned people complaining of their payments has been denied access to the Embassy.

“Lots of people are demanding millions of dollars worth of goods lying with this Embassy. The major problem that exists here is when items are needed from the business people, they are given excellent reception but when it comes to payments, they are told endless promises.” Lawyer Ibrahim said.

The UAE Embassy has not responded to the demands of the suppliers and workers who are almost ninety in numbers. Some Embassy officials stated the responsible person for payments is currently outside the country. 

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