‘It’s gone on too long’: CIMIC scrambles to refund workers caught up in underpayment scandal
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Mar 2022
Location: United Arab Emirates
Companies
CIMIC - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - India , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Pakistan , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Australia , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Dismissal , Personal Health , Wage Theft , Freedom of Movement , Restricted mobility , Precarious/Unsuitable Living ConditionsResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist(s)
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: By April 2022, most workers in both Qatar and UAE had reportedly been paid, though subcontractors and suppliers are still owed hundreds of millions of dollars. Dozens of workers have filed complaints with courts, including 34 cases in Dubai. CIMIC released a statement saying it “has at all times kept investors properly informed and met its continuous disclosure obligations.” They have also said “BICC has never been and is not currently controlled by CIMIC. BICC is currently managed by the acquirer and their management team.”
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Mar 2022
Location: Qatar
Companies
CIMIC - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Australia , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - India , Construction , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Pakistan , Construction , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Restricted mobility , Personal Health , Wage Theft , Freedom of MovementResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist(s)
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: By April 2022, most workers in both Qatar and UAE had reportedly been paid, though subcontractors and suppliers are still owed hundreds of millions of dollars. Dozens of workers have filed complaints with courts, including 34 cases in Dubai. CIMIC released a statement saying it “has at all times kept investors properly informed and met its continuous disclosure obligations.” They have also said “BICC has never been and is not currently controlled by CIMIC. BICC is currently managed by the acquirer and their management team.”
Source type: News outlet
Australia’s largest construction company CIMIC and its Middle East affiliate have engaged lawyers to help deal with hundreds of underpayment claims from workers, subcontractors and local banks in a scandal that has left some victims struggling to survive.
Employees in Dubai, who have taken the Middle East business to court, have been contacted by a law firm to sign release deeds to get their money, while hundreds of others in labour camps in Qatar are still waiting.
Michael Albrecht, an Australian expat who worked for CIMIC affiliated companies for 17 years, and who has been waiting almost a year to be paid overdue wages and accrued end of service entitlements, said he was contacted in the past 24 hours by a law firm to settle his claim.
A joint investigation with The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and ABC’s 7.30revealed on Wednesday that a brutal exit from the Middle East had left workers stranded and some subcontractors struggling to survive.
New claims have now emerged that when CIMIC announced its withdrawal from the Middle East in February 2021, selling its 45 per cent stake to SALD, 12 local banks were owed hundreds of millions of dollars - an amount that could blow out if existing projects aren’t successfully completed.