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.
幾年前,我親眼目睹了營建業的黑暗面 簡直讓我大開眼界 2006 年,年輕的卡達學生 帶我去看外勞的集中營 從此,我便一直關心著勞工的人權問題
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.
過去半年,在阿拉伯聯合大公國 有 300 多個摩天大樓的案子停工,或胎死腹中 在這些大樓的停建報導的背後 是許多靠營造維生的簽約工人,他們不可知的命運 他們的人數多達一百一十萬人 主要都是印度人、巴基斯坦人、斯里蘭卡人跟尼泊爾人 他們不惜一切離鄉背井 只為了賺錢養活家人 他們得先付給中間人一大筆錢才能來這打工 他們來到這裡才發現勞工營裡沒水、沒空調 自己的護照也被拿走了
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.
我們不難把這些怪罪給地方官員,跟主管機關 但是百分之九十九這些勞工的雇主卻是私人機構 所以我們也難逃責任 類似 UAE Buildsafe 的集團越來越多 而且數量相當龐大 2008 年 8 月 阿拉伯聯合大公國的官員表示 全國 1098 個勞工營裡頭 有 40% 違反了衛生及防火安全的最低標準 去年夏天,一萬多名勞工 集體抗議積欠工資 伙食和宿舍品質太差等問題
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.
然後就爆發了金融危機 營造廠因為財務槓桿操作過大而破產倒閉 情形跟其他破產的人一樣 唯一不同的是,這些勞工的東西都不見了 證明文件、護照 返鄉的機票等 現在,有數千名勞工遭到遺棄 他們沒辦法回家 也沒有入境證明 他們成了經濟發展興與衰背後的難民
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.
問題是,我們身為營建的專業人士 身為建築師、工程師,或開發商 如果你早知道這會持續 當我們每個星期去視察工地時 你難道會滿意你自己成為 侵害勞工人權的幫兇嗎? 讓我們暫時忘了環保問題 來想想道義問題吧 這究竟有什麼好啊? 我們蓋了一堆零碳排放、不浪費能源的綠色建築 可是參與興建這些美好建築的勞工們 卻一點都得不到符合人權與道義的待遇 最近一直有人說我對此事的態度相當積極 坦白說,在這個議題上 我們不應該有其他的態度
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)
我們千萬別忘記那些真正為不景氣付出代價的人 當我們坐在辦公室煩惱著下個工程 想著要爭取下一個設計案,好保住我們的員工時 也千萬別忘了這些人,他們的工作是用生命換來的 謝謝! (掌聲)