Ban impacting expat labour under review

Sunday, 1 March 2009 10:13 PM

The six-month labour ban in Dubai may be revised or scrapped altogether, a senior official said. The move comes in the wake of thousands of expatriates losing their jobs in Dubai due to tough economic conditions.Abdul Razaq Qamber, training head at the Inspection Department at the Ministry of Labour (MoL), said the ministry is set to revise a ministerial decision imposing a six-month ban on expatriate workers, XPRESS reported.

Employees working outside the free zones and who resign or lose their jobs are automatically slapped a six month ban, preventing them from moving from one company to another.

Qambar was speaking during a discussion on workers’ wages held on Sunday at the Ministry of Labour in Dubai.

XPRESS noted that under existing rules, the MoL does not issue a new labour card to people till after the six-month period, unless the previous sponsor approves of it with a “no-objection certificate.”

The move to scrap this ban, he said, aims to “ease the movement” of the labour force.

Qamber said: “We are revising the six-month automatic ban, which has been in place for a while. We are going to discuss its effect on the market and whether or not the ministry needs to reduce the duration or scrap it altogether.

“Moreover, there is a need to move the labour force according to the market requirements so that the market can benefit from the experience and efforts of these workers.”

Qamber said that in the last four months, the number of cases over unpaid salaries has jumped significantly.

Qamber reported a “higher than average” number of cases related to non-payment of salary of workers.

He reminded employers that the policy of holding worker’s pay for one month is illegal and companies that do this are violating labour law.

He said: “We give companies a 15-day grace period to pay salaries to their workers. Companies who appear to be reluctant in paying wages will have their papers forwarded to the public prosecution.”

Qamber said ministry inspectors have come upon some employers who deduct workers’ salaries without their approval, another form of violation which has been on the rise in the last few months. Inspectors have also found workers living in cramped and unhygienic labour camps, he said. He declined to give any figures.

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Posted by: Mahmood Rahman Tuesday, 3 March 2009 10:45 PM[UAE] - Pakistan

It is highly commendable that the authorities are looking into the matter of worker rights. With the ban condition in place the employers have been exploiting the expat workers who were unable to move to a better paid job even the harsh conditions with increasing cost of living forcing many to send their families home and live on bachelor status.

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Posted by: NTO Tuesday, 3 March 2009 9:43 AM[UAE] - UAE

The people in this comment thread that do not see the ban as a problem are misguided. An open labour market makes things stronger since both sides, employer and employee, must work together. Simple contracts protecting the employer for the recruitment fees, etc will work as they do in most other countries. As legal advisors our company has seen the ban used many times, as a threat and in practice, to unjustly control employees. Lift the ban and move into the modern world.

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Posted by: Glenn Monday, 2 March 2009 6:53 PM[UAE] - USA

Dubai's governing elite may have the ideas and the vision, which no one can take away from them. However, executing this vision, as well as allowing the economy to function in a free-wheeling fashion, is highly if not completely dependent on expat labor, whether it is the laborer or the general manager, engineer, or architect. I highly doubt you would see Emiratis from Abu Dhabi or Dubai (perhaps from other Emirates but even that is doubtful) wiling to wear the blue jumpsuit. That said, the US has a predicament with people with work (H-1b) visas. Several people in my firm were let go. They are given a month by the US Govt to find a job, otherwise, the company has to pay one-way airfare to send them home. For many who would prefer not to go back to, say, Iran, this has been absolutely devastating after years of solid work. At the very least, Dubai/UAE gov't should provide an opportunity for the expat to find another job, rather than ban them for 6 months. Hopefully this rule gets suspended.

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Posted by: ARV Monday, 2 March 2009 2:19 PM[UAE] - UAE

My dear friend Rainigade.. Can you think about a scenario where all the expats are forced to leave the country?? Just think about it very carefully... Make an analysis...Then u'll know how bad its gonna impact the UAE economy...

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Posted by: Jacob George Monday, 2 March 2009 2:13 PM[UAE] - U A E

There goes another ignorant comment for the sake of commenting "Why dont they just let these expats go home and fill in the positions with UAE nationals?". and this passed the evaluation team ?

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