Riot police were called in following a violent protest by hundreds of Chinese workers in a camp in Jebel Ali on Wednesday night, a senior police officer told XPRESS.
Colonel Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said around 800 Chinese workers were involved in the protest, demanding that their company pay their taxes in China.
“They started protesting at around 6pm in their labour camp. The stand-off is still going on [at around 10.30pm],'' he said. “Everything is under control and a riot control team was on stand- by. We did not get any reports of injuries.''
Tax demand
Another senior official said the workers were not paid for the last three months. The workers protested last week also and demanded their salaries.
Yesterday, the protest broke out when the company officials brought cash to pay salaries. But the workers refused to accept salaries and demanded extra payment to pay taxes in China.
A Chinese diplomat took part in the negotiations along with UAE officials and the company officials. At least six anti-riot trucks armed with water cannons were on stand-by.
Until about 10pm, no one dared to get close to the three-storey building where the Chinese construction workers were protesting.
XPRESS saw bottles and rocks being hurled from the top of a three-storey building. The road below was littered with broken glass, bed frames and rocks.
Some workers who arrived late didn't dare approach the building.
The incident created a mini-spectacle for hundreds of construction workers, mostly Asians, who gathered on the terraces of neighbouring buildings.
Purimur Munder, a Bangladeshi labourer who works and lives with the Chinese, said they were unable to enter the building from about 7pm for fear of getting hit by objects thrown by the protesting workers.
“They were not paid for four months,'' claimed Munder.
A source in the Labour Ministry, however, said that no complaint had been lodged by workers from the company regarding non-payment of salary.
Officials of the Labour Ministry and members of the Permanent Labour Committee were involved in negotiations with the agitating workers. Chinese consulate officials were unable for comment till the time of going to press.
– with inputs from Awad Mustafa
