Cameron Sinclair: The refugees of boom-and-bust

譯者: Joyce Lynn 審譯者: Jeannie Cheng

A few years ago, my eyes were opened

幾年前，我親眼目睹了營建業的黑暗面

to the dark side of the construction industry.

簡直讓我大開眼界

In 2006, young Qatari students

2006 年，年輕的卡達學生

took me to go and see the migrant worker camps.

帶我去看外勞的集中營

And since then I've followed the unfolding issue of worker rights.

從此，我便一直關心著勞工的人權問題

In the last six months, more than 300 skyscrapers

過去半年，在阿拉伯聯合大公國

in the UAE have been put on hold or canceled.

有 300 多個摩天大樓的案子停工，或胎死腹中

Behind the headlines that lay behind these buildings

在這些大樓的停建報導的背後

is the fate of the often-indentured construction worker.

是許多靠營造維生的簽約工人，他們不可知的命運

1.1 million of them.

他們的人數多達一百一十萬人

Mainly Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

主要都是印度人、巴基斯坦人、斯里蘭卡人跟尼泊爾人

and Nepalese, these laborers risk everything

他們不惜一切離鄉背井

to make money for their families back home.

只為了賺錢養活家人

They pay a middle-man thousands of dollars to be there.

他們得先付給中間人一大筆錢才能來這打工

And when they arrive, they find themselves in labor camps with no water,

他們來到這裡才發現勞工營裡沒水、沒空調

no air conditioning, and their passports taken away.

自己的護照也被拿走了

While it's easy to point the finger at local officials and higher authorities,

我們不難把這些怪罪給地方官員，跟主管機關

99 percent of these people are hired by the private sector,

但是百分之九十九這些勞工的雇主卻是私人機構

and so therefore we're equally, if not more, accountable.

所以我們也難逃責任

Groups like Buildsafe UAE have emerged,

類似 UAE Buildsafe 的集團越來越多

but the numbers are simply overwhelming.

而且數量相當龐大

In August 2008,

2008 年 8 月

UAE public officials noted

阿拉伯聯合大公國的官員表示

that 40 percent of the country's 1,098 labor camps

全國 1098 個勞工營裡頭

had violated minimum health and fire safety regulations.

有 40% 違反了衛生及防火安全的最低標準

And last summer, more than 10,000 workers

去年夏天，一萬多名勞工

protested for the non-payment of wages,

集體抗議積欠工資

for the poor quality of food, and inadequate housing.

伙食和宿舍品質太差等問題

And then the financial collapse happened.

然後就爆發了金融危機

When the contractors have gone bust,

營造廠因為財務槓桿操作過大而破產倒閉

as they've been overleveraged like everyone else,

情形跟其他破產的人一樣

the difference is everything goes missing,

唯一不同的是，這些勞工的東西都不見了

documentation, passports,

證明文件、護照

and tickets home for these workers.

返鄉的機票等

Currently, right now, thousands of workers are abandoned.

現在，有數千名勞工遭到遺棄

There is no way back home.

他們沒辦法回家

And there is no way, and no proof of arrival.

也沒有入境證明

These are the boom-and-bust refugees.

他們成了經濟發展興與衰背後的難民

The question is, as a building professional,

問題是，我們身為營建的專業人士

as an architect, an engineer, as a developer,

身為建築師、工程師，或開發商

if you know this is going on,

如果你早知道這會持續

as we go to the sights every single week,

當我們每個星期去視察工地時

are you complacent or complicit

你難道會滿意你自己成為

in the human rights violations?

侵害勞工人權的幫兇嗎？

So let's forget your environmental footprint.

讓我們暫時忘了環保問題

Let's think about your ethical footprint.

來想想道義問題吧

What good is it

這究竟有什麼好啊？

to build a zero-carbon, energy efficient complex,

我們蓋了一堆零碳排放、不浪費能源的綠色建築

when the labor producing this architectural gem

可是參與興建這些美好建築的勞工們

is unethical at best?

卻一點都得不到符合人權與道義的待遇

Now, recently I've been told I've been taking the high road.

最近一直有人說我對此事的態度相當積極

But, quite frankly, on this issue,

坦白說，在這個議題上

there is no other road.

我們不應該有其他的態度

So let's not forget who is really paying the price of this financial collapse.

我們千萬別忘記那些真正為不景氣付出代價的人

And that as we worry about our next job in the office,

當我們坐在辦公室煩惱著下個工程

the next design that we can get, to keep our workers.

想著要爭取下一個設計案，好保住我們的員工時

Let's not forget these men, who are truly dying to work.

也千萬別忘了這些人，他們的工作是用生命換來的

Thank you.

謝謝！

(Applause)

（掌聲）