Saudi Arabia: ITV finds migrants constructing 'The Line' at megacity project, Neom, experience egregious labour rights abuse
We’re made to work extremely hard. There is little time to rest. We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night.Neom migrant construction worker
An ITV documentary, “Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia”, has revealed severe labour rights violations for migrant workers constructing the megacity Neom.
Neom is part of the country’s ‘Vision 2030’ strategy as it tries to diversify its economy beyond oil. The documentary reports 21,000 migrant workers from India, Bangladesh and Nepal have died in Saudi Arabia since Vision 2040 was launched in 2016.
Workers labouring the megacity describe egregious abuses, including 16 hour working days, denial of leave, unpaid, three-hour commutes and little time to rest or sleep, among other human rights violations.
The reality is that workers all over Saudi Arabia are subject to deeply abusive and dangerous exploitation. The abuses are systematically happening across the country.Nicholas McGeehan, Director of UK-based human rights organisation FairSquare
Neom told ITV that it was assessing the claims made in the documentary and would take appropriate action where it was required. It says it requires “all contractors and subcontractors to comply with Neom’s Code of Conduct, based on the laws of Saudi Arabia and the policies of the International Labour Organization, and they are subject to frequent inspections of their workers’ living and working conditions”.
Following the release of the documentary, The Guardian published an article highlighting the risk of migrant abuse at Neom in the context of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. The Guardian highlights the country’s plans to build a stadium at NEOM 350 metres above the ground, and argues the megacity will only be ready for the World Cup if migrant workers continue to labour in abusive conditions.