A migrant worker has died while working in a new stadium that is being built for the World Cup of Football that will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2034.
As revealed to The Guardian Fuentes knowledgeable about the accident, Muhammad Arshad, of Pakistani nationality, worked in the works of the Aramco Stadium, in the city of Al Khobar, located east of the country. On March 12, while working on a large plant, it rushed into the void.
This is the first death known as a migrant worker related to the 2034 World Cup, and there is only three months after the FIFA announced the designation of the Gulf country as the headquarters of the tournament. Human rights organizations were strongly opposed to the decision and warned of the risks that migrant workers would run in the World Cup construction works: “Migrant workers will suffer exploitation and many will die”, They alerted.
Besix Group, Belgian construction multinational whose Six Construct [creación de moldes para el hormigón] In height when the platform on which they worked overturned. Although the three were equipped with personal protection systems, one of the workers was not connected to an anchor point at the time of the incident and fell, suffering serious injuries. ”In the statement, it is indicated that they immediately called emergency services, but” unfortunately, the worker died in the hospital. ”
It is not clear how long Arshad had been working at the stadium, where it is believed that he worked as a foreman, but on social networks he appears in the works since last September. According to a source that was present, after Arshad’s death, the construction company summoned the workers to a meeting in which they were ordered to delete any video recording of the incident and not talk to anyone about it.
For his part, Besix has pointed out that “out of respect for the victim’s family, workers who did not share images of the consequences of the tragic accident on social networks were asked.” In the statement, the construction company also states that “security is and remains our absolute priority (…) The authorities are carrying out thorough investigation, and we are fully cooperating to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy.”
Arshad’s body was repatriated on Tuesday to Pakistan, where his coffin was buried near his home, in the northwest of the country. Speaking to The Guardian, Arshad’s father, Muhammad Bashir, said: “We are destroyed.” “The whole family is in a state of shock.” Arshad, about 30, had three children between two and seven years old. “His death will have a lasting impact on the lives of his three children. Arshad’s income was the only source of family income,” said Bashir. In this regard, he pointed out that they will now have to take care of the expenses of support and education of children: “We will try to cover their needs.”
Last Monday, Bashir explained that he had not yet been contacted directly by his son’s employer, but that a relative in Saudi Arabia had assured him that his family would receive the salary that would not have yet paid to Arshad and all the benefits to which they are entitled.
According to Saudi labor legislation, employers must also pay compensation in case of death at work. Besix has declared that he has already taken measures to support the family and ensure that all payments are made “in a timely and respectful way”–
The construction of the Aramco Stadium, with capacity for 47,000 spectators, is in an advanced phase, and thousands of migrant workers, many of them from Bangladesh and Pakistan, work in the work in two shifts. Aramco, the state oil company, has recently become the main sponsor of FIFA.
An investigation carried out last year revealed that some migrant workers used in the stadium support very abusive conditions. They have denounced that they have huge debts for the illegal commissions that are forced to pay to reach Saudi Arabia. Hstasted in dreary and lowercase rooms, they work 10 hours a day under summer scoring heat, 45 degrees Celsius, in exchange for miserable salaries that, according to some, retain them for months.
The stadium is one of the 11 new venues that are being built for the 2034 World Cup, along with a huge extension of the country’s transport and hotel accommodation infrastructure to meet the demands of an expanded World Cup to 48 teams.
The works related to the World Cup are only part of the construction boom that is taking place in Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Gulf kingdom tries to revalue in the world scene. The works depend almost completely on a huge army of poorly paid migrant workers, mostly from southern Asia.
In a statement, Besix states that he has “made significant advances” in the protection of workers’ rights where he has ongoing projects, and adds that he also requires subcontractors to comply with protection rules that “cover the entire spectrum of the welfare of workers, from security and salaries to living conditions.” The company acknowledges that “some local contexts raise challenges”, and that they have taken additional measures to improve these standards. “Our priority is to ensure that all workers receive decent and fair treatment,” says the statement.
For its part, Aramco has affirmed that the safety and well -being of employees is their “highest priority.” “The company follows the best practices of the sector in the management and notification of incidents, including the determination of the facts, the sequence of the underlying events and causes.”
FIFA has not responded to the request for this means to make statements.
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