Watchdog questions Guggenheim labor

Guggenheim Museum officials haven't addressed concerns about the treatment of workers who will build a branch in the United Arab Emirates, which has had a surge of labor unrest in recent weeks, a human rights organization says.

The Persian Gulf nation has "systemic" abuse problems at construction sites, Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Sarah Leah Whitson said. Workers endure hazardous conditions, routinely have wages withheld and passports confiscated, and do not have a protected right to organize, the group said.

Construction hasn't started yet on the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi. Museum officials said Tuesday they hadn't seen the Human Rights Watch statement and could not immediately comment.

Whitson said the museum has failed to respond to numerous requests for meetings.

The country's booming economy depends heavily on foreign workers, mostly from Asia. On Tuesday, tens of thousands of south Asian laborers returned to work at construction sites in Dubai after a rare strike forced their employer to raise wages to make up for the falling U.S. dollar.

Last year, a Human Rights Watch report on labor conditions in the Middle East said the United Arab Emirates had "abdicated almost entirely from its responsibility to protect workers' rights."

Labor Minister Ali Al Kaabi said the United Arab Emirates was beefing up its enforcement of labor rights and human trafficking and was increasing the number of labor inspectors. He disputed many of the report's findings, including allegations that the government was not penalizing companies for violations.

The new Guggenheim museum will cost more than $200 million, and is to be completed in about five years. It would cover 450,000 square feet, making it larger than the museum in Bilbao, Spain, currently the biggest branch of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The New York-based Guggenheim also has branches in Las Vegas, Berlin and Venice.

On Tuesday, the Guggenheim foundation announced a 15-year operating agreement for the Abu Dhabi museum that includes educational programs for United Arab Emirates schools and universities. Emirates nationals will be trained as curators, cultural assistants, art handlers and museum security personnel.

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