Swiss insist on worker protection in World Expo prep

Dubai Frame, which incorporates a ring design inspired by the Expo 2020 logo, is meant to showcase views of old and new Dubai. Keystone / Ali Haider

Contractors hired to work on the Swiss pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in DubaiExternal link can expect worker protection and equal pay regardless of gender, reports the newspaper NZZamSonntagExternal link.

Switzerland will have a pavilion at the expo, which is expected to attract around 25 million visitors between October 2020 and April 2021. Half of the CHF15 million ($15.1 million) for the Swiss pavilion is to be provided by private sponsors.

In the contract prepared for its sponsors, the foreign ministryExternal link has included clauses to protect people hired to work on the pavilion.

Partners must comply with health and safety regulations and “ensure equal treatment of men and women regarding wages”, states the model contract, which the newspaper quoted from on Sunday. There is also a clause stating that “the contracting parties shall undertake all necessary measures to prevent corruption”.

As ministry spokesman Georg Farago told NZZamSonntag, the Swiss representation in the United Arab Emirates has increased its commitment to worker protection. “Work and migration-related topics are regularly discussed at the meetings with ministries and in discussions with the Expo management.”

Presence SwitzerlandExternal link, which communicates Switzerland’s image abroad, is responsible for the pavilion’s coordination. Farago noted that the Expo contracts only apply to the contracting parties, and not to the local government.