Gulf ministers support residency cap

GCC nations are broadly in favour of a proposed law to impose a six year residency cap on unskilled expatriate workers, according to a UAE labour ministry official.

Following a meeting of GCC labour ministers in Riyadh last week, Yousuf Jaffar told Gulf News “The 3+3 law was discussed at the ministerial meeting in Riyadh and most countries were in favour of the law.” According to Jaffar, ministers approved an 11 point plan for the law, likely to be approved at the GCC summit in Doha next month.

Under the law, unskilled labourers would work on a three-year contract, renewable only once. However, the law would be applied separately to each country, meaning labourers could continue to work in other Gulf nations.

Bahrain Labour Minister Majeed Al-Alawi announced the proposed cap in early October, saying that it was necessary to stop the erosion of local culture and to stem soaring unemployment among nationals.

Expatriates from across the Gulf have accused the minister's plans of being shortsighted and misguided, claiming the move could have dire consequences for the region's economies.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Hail cap
Posted by N. A. Mirza, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday 26 November 2007 at 12:00 UAE time

The cap can be a blessing in disguise for both the expat labourers and the Gulf nationals. It should be hailed and viewed from a different perspective. Asians form the bulk of unskilled workers in all the Gulf countries. Constraints force them to prolong their stay in their work places outside their home countries. A prolonged stay makes them strangers in their own countries and the society. They earn foreign exchange for their respective countries but at what cost? The countries they serve does not accept them as their nationals nor the countries they come from have any concrete programmes to help them. So their return to their countries is certain even if they work for decades. Earlier, therefore, is better. It's an irony that most of these unskilled workers even cannot attend the weddings of their own grown up daughters, preferring instead to save the sum on travel and transfer them to meet the wedding expenses. And those who manage to live with their families face some major problems, one of them being education of their children. This problem alone divides families and even forces many professionals to move home their families. On the other hand, the cap will force government to devise plans for nationals to work for their economies and contain soaring unemployment. The cap will help such workers think of the future and also force their respective governments create jobs for them. How long would the Asian governments depend on the Gulf labour market and how long should the Gulf depend on unskilled Asian workers. Both should be self-reliant.

how does it work?
Posted by Hala, dubai, UAE on Monday 26 November 2007 at 11:00 UAE time

How is it that the labourers who are building the country and do not interact with the local culture are causing the erosion? And what about skilled labor? How will this affect the rest of the expats? Is it applicable to maids as well?

6 years residency cap
Posted by MUHAMMAD IMRAN, khobar, KSA on Monday 26 November 2007 at 10:00 UAE time


can anyone please clarify, that cap would be applicable on every expat or for just unskilled workers only??? 
will be doctors, engineers and other professionls be effected by this unjustifiable cap?? 
thanks

6 year cap is ridiculous
Posted by salman, Dubai, UAE on Monday 26 November 2007 at 09:00 UAE time

When this news had first come out in papers, it was laughed out as unpractical. Now the same is going to be enacted. GCC countries are kicking the axe with their foot. What kind of cultural acceptance will they get from expatriates now when they know they will live in a country for 6 years max. ME is known to think the unthinkable, but this one takes the cake.

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