Improving performance of labourers in the construction projects of UAE: a multi cultural perspective

Improvement in the performance of the migrant construction labourers requires understanding of their national culture while practising the decent work practices indicators specific to these labourers in the UAE. In depth and multi method data collection through observations, semi structured interviews and narratives of the construction labourers revealed that the national culture behaviour in terms of long-term orientation (LTO), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance (UAI) and individualism (IND) affects performance of the labourers. This difference of the national culture and decent work practices has economic and social impacts on the labourers, their families, the projects, migrant sending countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China) and migrant receiving country (UAE). Besides economic and social impacts, it also affects health of the labourers with environmental impacts on the UAE. This research study will help in formulation of effective migration policy by both labour sending and labour receiving countries. It will also help employees and employers in taking roles considering national culture and practice of the decent work indicators. Finally, effective improvement in the decent work practice indicators could also be achieved after understanding of the national culture in action of the migrant labourers while practising decent work indicators in the UAE.