We believe the Coalition for Fair Labor’s assessment is neither right nor fair, and we find the title to be both incorrect and inflammatory. More broadly, we disagree with the report’s findings, which are not based on primary evidence.
Our professional, independent labor compliance monitor, Impactt Ltd., has reviewed NYUAD’s labor compliance between December 2015 and March 2018, and “identified a good level of compliance among contractors and a high level of satisfaction among workers.” Please find a link to Impactt’s report here.
Impactt, which unlike the CFL conducted more than 500 worker interviews as part of its report, also found that “These positive results correlate with anecdotal worker accounts from audit interviews, where workers reported on numerous occasions positive experiences working on the NYUAD Project, compared to other projects or jobs.”
NYUAD has a strong set of labor standards (the Supplier Code of Conduct) and a robust compliance monitoring program in place to ensure workers on the campus are treated fairly. This includes an in-house, on-the-ground compliance monitoring team who routinely interview workers and audit employer compliance with the labor standards, as well as 24/7 hotline that anyone can call to report a compliance concern.
Our hiring policies are grounded in the principle that employers, not workers, should pay the costs of worker recruitment. As such, in accordance with our standards, over the past 2 years alone suppliers contracted by NYUAD have reimbursed 50 workers for fees related to their recruitment.
NYU and its Abu Dhabi partner are confident of the robustness of the compliance monitoring system in place at NYUAD. We disagree with the findings of the Coalition for Fair Labor’s report, and given they were aware that Impactt’s report was forthcoming, we are disappointed that they did not wait to examine its findings.