Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Watch report finds "widespread labour abuses" for migrants involved in giga-projects; incl. co. response
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The abuses start from the time companies recruit workers and illegally force them to pay exorbitant recruitment fees, and they continue with employers in Saudi Arabia refusing to pay migrant workers the wages they are owed in violation of their employment contracts. At the same time, employers expose workers to serious dangers at job sites, including climate-linked extreme heat for outdoor workers."“Die First, and I'll Pay You Later”: Saudi Arabia’s ‘Giga-Projects’ Built on Widespread Labor Abuses", Human Rights Watch
In December, Human Rights Watch released a report exploring human rights violations experienced by migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. The research is based on interviews with 156 current and former migrant workers or their families from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines. It finds migrant workers are facing “widespread labour abuses across … sectors and geographical regions”.
The report says it is “nearly certain” the Saudi Arabia FIFA 2034 World Cup will be “stained with pervasive rights abuse”. The report also emphasises risks for migrants linked to other giga-projects across the country, including the NEOM and Red Sea projects. It describes the influence of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund, whose investments in these projects are “staggering”.
Interviewees were employed in several sectors, including construction, hospitality, private health services, and retail. The report finds migrants experience abuse during recruitment and throughout employment, including dangerous working conditions, wage theft and other severe human rights violations.
The report emphasises companies involved in projects in the region risk “causing, contributing to, and being directly linked to” migrant worker abuse. It makes several recommendations to companies, the Saudi government, origin country governments and FIFA sponsors.
The report names several companies who were reached for comment by Human Rights Watch, including: AB InBev/Budweiser, Adidas, Coca-Cola, FIFA, Public Investment Fund, McDonalds, Mohammed al-Mojil Group, NEOM, Red Sea Global, Saudi Binladen Group, Saudi Oger, Saudi Manpower Supply Company, Takamol Holding, and Visa. Human Rights Watch received responses from NEOM, saying they intend to respond in the near future, and from Takamol Holding, AB InBev/Budweiser, Adidas, McDonalds, and Visa. All FIFA sponsors, including Coca-Cola, agreed to meet Human Rights Watch to discuss concerns about the upcoming tournament.
The report also names Morgan Stanley, saying the company is collaborating with the Public Investment Fund to acquire 36 percent of Saudi Binladin Group. The report notes Saudi Binladin Group has previously been linked to migrant rights violations, including laying off tens of thousands of workers in 2016 and sending them back home without pay, with some workers still waiting to be paid.
In January, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Morgan Stanley to respond to the report, and disclose any human rights due diligence it undertook prior to collaborating with the PIF, to identify and mitigate any related human rights risks that may come from the collaboration and from the PIF’s acquisition of Saudi Binladin Group. Morgan Stanley’s response can be read in full below.