Seven workers died in Dubai this week in what may be a window into the seamy underside of global capitalism.

The workers were killed and 19 others were injured when a wall collapsed on a bridge construction project, according to Gulf News, a publication based in the United Arab Emirates. The U.A.E. is the federal government for Dubai and six other emirates. In an Associated Press story about the accident, the head of safety at a nearby construction site said workers on the bridge project were not properly equipped to ensure their safety because they did not have helmets, gloves, proper shoes or harnesses.

An official with the firm that employed the killed workers, Wade Adams Group, disputed those charges.

But it wouldn’t be surprising if the allegations of inadequate safety equipment are true, given Dubai’s dubious labor rights record.

Labor unions are illegal in Dubai, according to Agence France-Presse. The oil-rich, fast-growing city-state relies heavily on South Asian migrant workers, and advocacy groups have criticized Dubai for its labor rules and practices.

Despite strikes being outlawed, migrant workers at construction sites in Dubai—including the world’s tallest building, Burj Dubai—have been striking for better wages, according to Agence France-Presse. The news service reported on November 7 that the U.A.E. said it would “urgently” review wages of workers in the construction sector following the wave of strikes.

Such government intervention would be something of a reversal for Dubai. The government’s official Web site boasts that “Dubai’s economy has been kept open and free to attract investors and business. Government control and regulation of private sector activities has been kept to a minimum.”

Meanwhile, Gulf News reported that the families of the seven dead workers—all Indians—will get 10 years’ salary in compensation. According to the AP, a Wade Adams Group official estimated the workers each earned an average of $2,615 a year, for a total of $26,142 over 10 years.

I wonder whether the family members consider that “fair trade” in action.