Balanced News: Plight of migrants building Senegal’s future city

Mohamed, a Sierra Leonean plumber, was fired from his job nine months ago after injuring his hand on an air conditioner. He now lives in decrepit shared accommodation and works on construction sites for minimum pay, often working 13 hours a day, seven days a week. Migrant workers from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria have flocked to Diamniadio, Senegal, in search of a decent job and pay in a stable currency. They often work long hours for minimal pay and are often abused by their employers. The Senegalese labor code requires a contract for day labourers, but many of the migrant workers interviewed said they had not signed any contract and were offered no support when they were injured. The United Nations’ new West Africa headquarters, one of Dakar’s keystone projects, is being built by a Chinese-owned firm with allegations of abuse by its employees.