Group of foreign workers stage rare protest in Dubai

Hundreds of foreign construction workers staged a brief protest in the Gulf state of Dubai on Tuesday, defying the law against going on strike, AFP reported on Tuesday.

They blocked a road near the famed Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building at 828 meters, the agency said.

Police quickly intervened and the dispute between the workers and their employer was resolved, the government's press service said.

The National newspaper said the protesters were employed by the Arabic Construction Company on the Fountain Views development behind The Dubai Mall and had blocked traffic on Financial Centre Road in Downtown Dubai.

The daily quoted Issa Al Zarouni, of the Labor Ministry, as saying: “The problem was not that the company was not paying workers on time, but about the workers’ misunderstanding of how overtime compensation is calculated.”

Dubai Police said on Twitter they had “coordinated with the employer to resolve the issue of the workers, affirming that their rights will be preserved.”

Dubai police chief Khamis al-Mazyana said on Twitter the dispute was resolved in less than an hour.

(With AFP)