“Saudi World Cup bid renews fears for migrants' welfare”

… Fosir Mia moved to Saudi Arabia thinking he would earn a handsome salary as an electrician, only to find himself hauling steel rods in harsh desert heat for paltry pay.

After 13-hour shifts at a construction site outside Riyadh, the Bangladeshi national would return to the room he shared with 11 other workers, then fight for a turn at the gas stove so he could make dinner before repeating the routine the next day.

Now back home, the 35-year-old says he was never paid for seven of his 17 months in the Gulf kingdom. He warns that a pending construction boom -- for stadiums for the 2034 World Cup and other large-scale projects -- could expose others to similar exploitation…

Unpaid wages, shoddy housing and hours of toil in life-threatening heat are already common grievances for migrant workers in Saudi Arabia …

The world's biggest crude oil exporter says strengthening workers' rights is a priority …

Equidem, a London-based labour rights charity, says the Saudi World Cup bid creates a "window of opportunity" for reforms.

But if nothing changes, "tens of thousands of workers will be subjected to modern slavery and forced labour," Equidem founder Mustafa Qadri told AFP.

"Lives will be literally destroyed."…