MIDDLE EAST
FEATURE
UUNSUNG HEROESNSUNG HEROES
In a world far removed from strategic plans, breakfast meetings, and
the use of the word ‘ideation’, there is a huge band of employees
without whom the media industry would grind to a standstill. But for
the printing press workers, delivery men and billboard fixers—not to
mention a hundred other roles—there would be no adverts or news-
papers: For every award-winning piece of creative work or insight-
ful leader column, there needs to be someone to deliver it. So this
week we venture outside the CEO offices, and profile the people at
the coalface of the communications industry. Because without these
‘unsung heroes’, we’d all be out of a job.
leaning bus stops is not “I’m a very poor person. I want
C
usually considered an to build my house,” he continues. “I
act that could ‘make or want to spend more than five or six
break’ a media compa- years with this company. I can’t earn
ny. But for Right Angle money in Sri Lanka. In Dubai I can
Media—the company which has built earn money. It’s a very good company.
upwards of 1,000 shelters at 600 sites Everything they provide for us.”
around Dubai, on which it sells adver- Hassan has worked for Right Angle
tising space—it is an essential part of for a year, and says that he enjoys the
the business. job because it is so varied. He says that
The
bbus stopus stop
aattendantsttendants
The company relies on people the workload varies from day to day:
like Nazeem Tuan Hassan, a 45 year he could visit 10, 15 or 20 sites—or
old electrician, to help maintain the even more if there was an ‘emergency’
gleaming shelters. incident, with a shelter having a faulty H
assan is among 110 staff Hassan’s colleague on the main-
who handle the clean- tenance team, Saheer Kattayat,
ing, maintenance, and ad confirms that not everyone uses the
Hassan (pictured, right), who lives light, for instance. signage installation of the shelters. shelters for the purpose they were
in company accommodation in Du- Employment usually begins with intended for.
bai’s Al Quoz district, starts work at
I’m a very poor
on-the-job training for three-to-six “If people smoke or litter inside,
8am, and usually finishes at around months; staff get a one-month vaca- they get a fine from the RTA. Some-
6pm. He worked as an electrician in
person. I want to
tion every year, with a flight paid for. times, I see people in Deira—bach-
his native Sri Lanka—he studied for build my house. The company runs the operation elors sleeping in [the shelters]. I tell
a diploma in the profession—but de- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “Our them to move on,” says the 32-year-
cided to move to Dubai to earn more “We do the maintenance, the post- crews do what’s called a ‘wet and old Keralan.
money to support his wife and child. ing [of advertisements], the electrics. dry clean’, they replace the posters,
He says his family respects his deci- We help replace the logos and every- do the waste collection, and carry
sion to move to Dubai, because he was thing. Sometimes it’s hard work, but out the normal maintenance. We’re
PROFILE
following his chosen profession. not all the time. I like an all-round literally a 24/7 operation, with three
“In Sri Lanka I was working for an job,” he says.
Nazeem Tuan Hassan
daily eight-hour shifts,” says Scott
electrician company. [I came to Du- Hassan appreciates how Right An- Rowe, director of sales, marketing
TITLE: Electrician
bai] to earn money, to improve my gle’s business model works. “[People] and business development.
NATIONALITY: Sri Lankan
family. I want to look after my wife and like to sit inside, they like the AC,” he Rowe says the fact that there have
AGE: 45
child, that’s why I moved here. They says. “What do I think of the advertis- been instances of people sleeping
PAY: Dhs1,200/month, plus food,
like it because I followed that job [as ing? That people think, ‘Oh very nice, in the shelters is testament to their accommodation and overtime
an electrician],” says Hassan. we want advertising like that.”’ comfort.
12 / 10 MAY 2009
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