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.
Pre nekoliko godina, doživeo sam otkrovenje o tamnoj strani građevinske industrije. Godine 2006, mladi studenti iz Katra rekli su mi da odem i pogledam kampove radnika migranata. Od tada pratim beskrajni problem prava radnika.
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.
U proteklih šest meseci, gradnja više od 300 nebodera u UAE je ili zaustavljena li otkazana. Iza naslova koji se tiču ovih zgrada nalazi se sudbina građevinskog radnika koji je često unajmljen. 1,1 milion njih. Uglavnom Indijci, Pakistanci, Šrilanćani i Nepalci, ovi radnici rizikuju sve kako bi zaradili novac za porodice kod kuće. Posrednicima plaćaju hiljade dolara kako bi bili tamo. A kada stignu, zateknu se u radnim kampovima bez vode, klimatizacije, i uzmu im pasoše.
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.
Iako je lako okriviti lokalne zvaničnike i više vlasti, 99% ovih ljudi zapošljava privatni sektor tako da smo jednako odgovorni, ako ne i više. Pojavile su se grupe poput Buildsafe UAE ali brojke su prosto neverovatne. U avgustu 2008, zvaničnici UAE objavili su da je 40% od 1098 radničkih kampova u zemlji kršilo minimalne propise o zaštiti zdravlja i bezbednosti od požara. Prošlog leta, preko 10000 radnika protestovalo je zbog neisplaćivanja nadnica, lošeg kvaliteta hrane i neadekvatnog smeštaja.
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.
Onda se desio i konačni kolaps. Kada su izvođači radova bankrotirali, jer su bili prezaduženi kao i svi ostali, sve počinje da nestaje, dokumentacija, pasoši i povratne karte za ove radnike. Trenutno je napušteno hiljade radnika. Ne postoji način da se vrate kućama. I nema dokaza o njihovom dolasku. Ovo su izbeglice ekonomskog cvetanja i propadanja.
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.
Pitanje je, kao profesionalac koji se bavi izgradnjom, kao arhitekta, inženjer, graditelj, ako znate da se ovo dešava, kada idemo do mesta građenja svake nedelje, da li ste zadovoljni ili ste saučesnik u kršenju ljudskih prava? Zaboravimo na vaš uticaj na prirodu. Razmislimo o vašem uticaju na etiku. Šta ima dobrog u tome da izgradite kompleks bez emisije ugljenika koji energetski efikasan kada je rad uložen za dobijanje ovog dragulja arhitekture u najboljem slučaju neetički? Skoro su mi rekli da sam moralno nadmen. Ali iskreno, kod ovog problema, ne postoji drugi način.
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)
Nemojmo zaboraviti ko zaista pati zbog ovog finansijskog kolapsa. I dok brinemo o narednom poslu u kancelariji, na sledećem dizajnu koji dobijemo, treba da zadržimo svoje radnike. Ne zaboravimo ove ljude koji zaista umiru od posla. Hvala vam. (Aplauz)