A few years ago, my eyes were opened to the dark side of the construction industry. In 2006, young Qatari students took me to go and see the migrant worker camps. And since then I've followed the unfolding issue of worker rights.
Pak vjet me pare, u njoha me anen e erret te industrise se ndertimit. Ne 2006, studentet e Qatar me cuan te vizitoj kampin e punetoreve emigrante. Qe atehere kam ndjekur ceshtjen emergjente te te drejtave te punetoreve.
In the last six months, more than 300 skyscrapers in the UAE have been put on hold or canceled. Behind the headlines that lay behind these buildings is the fate of the often-indentured construction worker. 1.1 million of them. Mainly Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Nepalese, these laborers risk everything to make money for their families back home. They pay a middle-man thousands of dollars to be there. And when they arrive, they find themselves in labor camps with no water, no air conditioning, and their passports taken away.
Ne 6 muajt e fundit, me se 300 shumekatesh ne ndertim ne Emiratet e Bashkuara Arabe, jane pezulluar ose anulluar. Mbas titujve te publikimeve qe flasin per keto ndertime eshte fati i punetoreve te ndertimit, shpesh te kontraktuar. 1.1 milion nga ata. Shumica nga India. Pakistani, Sri Lanka dhe Nepali, keta punetore rrezikojne cdo gje per te fituar para per familjet ne vendin e tyre. Ata i paguajne nje ndermjetesi mijera dollare qe te vijne aty. Dhe, kur arrijne, e gjejne veten ne kampe pune pa uje, pa ajer te kondicionuar dhe i konfiskohen pashaportat.
While it's easy to point the finger at local officials and higher authorities, 99 percent of these people are hired by the private sector, and so therefore we're equally, if not more, accountable. Groups like Buildsafe UAE have emerged, but the numbers are simply overwhelming. In August 2008, UAE public officials noted that 40 percent of the country's 1,098 labor camps had violated minimum health and fire safety regulations. And last summer, more than 10,000 workers protested for the non-payment of wages, for the poor quality of food, and inadequate housing.
Ndersa eshte e lehte ta vesh shenjestren tek zyrtaret lokale dhe autoritetet e larte, 99 perqind e tyre jane punesuar nga sektori privat. dhe prandaj, ne jemi pergjegjes barazisht ne mos me teper. Grupet si Buildsafe UAE jane shfaqur, por shifrat jane shume te larta. Ne gusht 2008, zyrtaret e EBA publikuan se 40 perqind e 1098 kampeve te punes ne te gjithe vendin, kishte shkelur rregullat minimale te shendetit dhe sigurise se zjarrit. Veren e kaluar, me se 10 000 punetore protestuan kunder rrogave te papaguara, ushqimit te keq dhe strehimit te papershtatshem.
And then the financial collapse happened. When the contractors have gone bust, as they've been overleveraged like everyone else, the difference is everything goes missing, documentation, passports, and tickets home for these workers. Currently, right now, thousands of workers are abandoned. There is no way back home. And there is no way, and no proof of arrival. These are the boom-and-bust refugees.
Pastaj, ndodhi kriza financiare. Kur sipermarresit kane falimentuar, te mbytur ne borxhe si gjithe te tjeret, dallimi eshte se gjithshka ka humbur, dokumentat, pasaportat, dhe biletat e kthimit per keta punetore. Tani, tamam ne kete moment, mijera punetore jane abandonuar. Nuk mund te kthehen ne shtepi. S'ka menyre qe te kthehen dhe s'ka prove te mberritjes. Keta jane refugjatet e bumit dhe deshtimit.
The question is, as a building professional, as an architect, an engineer, as a developer, if you know this is going on, as we go to the sights every single week, are you complacent or complicit in the human rights violations? So let's forget your environmental footprint. Let's think about your ethical footprint. What good is it to build a zero-carbon, energy efficient complex, when the labor producing this architectural gem is unethical at best? Now, recently I've been told I've been taking the high road. But, quite frankly, on this issue, there is no other road.
Pyetja eshte, si profesionist ndertimi, si arkitekt, si inxhinier, si zhvillues, nese je ne dijeni qe ndodh, sic shkojme ne kantjer cdo jave, a je pjesemarres ne shkeljen e te drejtave te njeriut? Le te harrojme pricipet ambientaliste. Le te mendojme per principet etike. C'te mire kemi te ndertojme nje kompleks ekonomik ne energji dhe impakt zero, nese puna qe prodhon kete perle arkitekturale eshte joetike ne rastin me te mire? Kohet e fundit me kane thene qe i kam hyre nje rruge te veshtire. Por, sinqerisht, ne kete ceshtje, nuk ka rruge tjeter.
So let's not forget who is really paying the price of this financial collapse. And that as we worry about our next job in the office, the next design that we can get, to keep our workers. Let's not forget these men, who are truly dying to work. Thank you. (Applause)
Te mos harrojme kush po paguan vertet cmimin e krizes ekonomike. Dhe ndersa shqetesohemi per punen tjeter ne zyre, projektin tjeter qe do sigurojme qe te mbajme punetoret tone. Te mos harrojme keta njerez, qe vertet po vdesin per te punuar. Falemnderit. (Duartrokitje)