Jean Novel Deems Conditions of Abu Dhabi Louvre Workers “fine” Despite Damning Evidence of Abuse and Exploitation

Despite extensive and damning evidence to the contrary, French architect Jean Novel has rebuffed well established and documented claims that the Louvre construction in Abu Dhabi was built on the back of heavily exploited migrant labour.

As the £18bn Louvre museum opens in Abu Dhabi next, Jean Novel has made a concerted attempt to assure perspective critics that there was no wrongdoing regarding the treatment of those that laboured on his project. In a bid to protect his iconic reputation, the French architect not only saw “no problem” with the conditions that the mainly South Asian migrant labour force worked under, but went on to declare that they were actually better than in many other countries.  

These assertions fly in the face of mounting evidence which suggests otherwise. A 2015 report produced by Human Rights Watch found that working conditions at the Louvre construction site amounted to forced labour, where workers were liable to arrest and deportation if they dared complain about the appalling conditions they were labouring in.

Around a similar time, a Guardian investigation corroborated these findings, revealing that workers on the Saadiyat Island were living in “squalid conditions”, had their passports confiscated, were suffering from wage theft and underpayment, were massively indebted, and were denied the right to join a trade union or independent organisation.

This case is far from isolated. Migrant workers, largely of South Asian origin, account for over half the population in the UAE and have no political rights, leaving them vulnerable to various forms of mistreatment by both their employers and the state. The appalling working and living conditions they endure have long been documented and condemned by international organisations such as Human Rights Watch.

Claims by the UAE authorities that they have improved the conditions of these workers were recently rebuffed by campaigning groups such as the Gulf Labour Artists who asserted otherwise, claiming that the recent announcement by Emirati authorities on the matter was merely for show, and the reality on the ground offers a very different perspective.

Novel’s naive statements directly contradict and undermines the extensive work of human rights organisations, and is typical of a trend of putting financial gain and personal professional success before human rights obligations. In a statement regarding the Abu Dhabi Louvre, Novel claimed, “we don't build for a person, we construct for people, for civilisations, for humanity”. His ignorance regarding the reality for those who laboured on his vision reveals the emptiness and selective nature of this statement.

- For more information or press queries, please contact the ICFUAE Team at joe@icfuae.org.uk or +447979666698

- For more information on the story please see, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/24/architect-defends-treatment-workers-louvre-abu-dhabi-jean-nouvel

- For more information regarding the Guardian and Human Rights Watch's investigations into the working conditions at the Louvre, please seehttps://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/dec/02/louvre-abu-dhabi-guggenheim-art