In the crowded courtyard of a Dubai labourers' dormitory, amid the laundry and communal stew pots of several hundred workers from across the Indian subcontinent, hangs a declaration. It states that as of May 16 the employees of Besix construction will no longer go to the work site until their list of demands is met.

What might be a common scene in other countries is a novelty in the UnitedArab Emirates where, until recently, a restrictive labour law and fear of deportation combined to prevent a largely expatriate workforce from organising and winning concessions from their employers.