...... Last year Transguard was the subject of serious allegations of abuse against migrant workers during the pandemic, alleged Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, an international NGO that tracks the human rights impacts of more than 10,000 companies across nearly 200 countries. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said that it had approached Koelnmesse for a response to the allegations against Transguard. The group claims that the German firm did not provide satisfactory evidence that effective human rights due diligence was taken prior to its contract with Transguard.

In a press release about the contract, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre cited a number of reports exposing alleged abuses carried out by Transguard against migrant workers. The reports claimed that the UAE firm had withheld passports and wages, was paying below minimum wages, Offered inadequate PPE, imposed forced contract changes and terminations with no notice and deductions from end-of-service benefits. MEMO has contacted Tranguard regarding these allegations but received no response by time of publication.