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UAE blocks low-paid workers from driving - report
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Sunday, 30 November 2008Posted on Monday, 15 December 2008
UAE blocks low-paid workers from driving
Posted by faheem at 17:37 UAE time
UAE has given us tremendous opportunities. I love this country because I am a second generation expat. I have seen my father working hard to earn and we are maintaining his legacy.
Although the UAE is in its infancy, the country has advanced very much and the role of expats is tremendous. The locals and government are treating us with respect and trust like no other country.
But this kind of rule is not consistent with the country's long tradition. The core of this problem is educating the drivers. I think nowhere in this world is there such a law and there is no research to prove that this will reduce accidents.
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Posted on Friday, 12 December 2008
The current situation
Posted by M. Alshamsi at 12:17 UAE time
For the people who believe themselves professionals in this country and made some comments below, please be subjective when directing your "emotional" blowouts. Saying that "who would deliver thier KFC, and who will wash their cars" just shows that the problem with the increase of expats is not the effect it has on the population, but is allowing people that lack the basic principles of a respectful, decent human being, whether professional or not to pour in uncontrollably. I would never say "leave the country" because it's not the expats fault, who is looking for a better life, its ours for allowing such uncontrollable flow. for the people who think we cannot live without "them", specifically, look closely and you'll see that more than 90% of the services present in dubai serve expats, who serve expats in return, who if lucky would be providing a service for locals if not serving another expat. Please, whoever has come to the UAE less than 10 years ago, don't dare to think that you have "built" the country. Ask expats more than 25 years about their experiences in the country and you will get a true insight on how the majority of them led a comfortable life, most of them when asked if they want citizenship would deny because they don't need to have one to lead a happy life here. I respect those people, and respect low-paid workers for leading a decent life, and respect other expacts who follow such principles. This law may not be perfect, and brings out more controversy than solutions, but it is in no way a reason to go all out on locals, which i am saddened to see happening everyday. Our society has its flaws, and being only 37 years old, it is considered an infant society. Don't use that as a target, and respect the fact that we are learning and improving, not for our wellbeing only, but for the wellbeing of the society as a whole.
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Posted on Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Day to Day drive
Posted by Donald Duck at 10:24 UAE time
In a day to day drive to work and to home I didn't see that the "low-paid workers" as they were called are the reason for the massive traffic in the streets. I mean when you're stuck in traffic just look around you, how many workers you'll find driving? they're either in a bus, or walking home!! I don't think that the real rationality of this rule was to limit traffic. There must be something else that we're not aware of
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Posted on Sunday, 7 December 2008
Professionals
Posted by Vinodkumar at 19:36 UAE time
Nurses are certified professionals. Any body downgrading them is making a grave mistake in their lifetime while insulting them. The housemaids, cooks, tailors and gardeners are not certified professionals but any person with dignity of labour will vouch their life experience and demand in their chosen trade. That itself is enough to make them professionals. They may be lowly paid highly in demand in all countries. It is the world system failure that they are not certified. Is low salary the criteria for such rules? I pray that rulers close their eyes and look deeply inside them before implementing such rules. Let all souls receive equal rights in the right direction.
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Posted on Friday, 5 December 2008
Jawad doesn't speak for Emiratis
Posted by Jasem at 16:23 UAE time
It's his personal opinion. Besides, the minority status that Emiratis have come to is unfortunately their own doing. Jawad knows that the country can not function as is without the expatriates, and knows he doesn't like that fact. You can't have it both ways, Jawad. You either accept the expats and learn to live like a minority or not accept them and learn to live poor. Expats are driving the economy here. Personally, as a Gulf Arab, I don't like to see Emiratis becoming a shrinking minority in their own country. The question is, are they ready? Depends on whether they value their identity over their lifestyle. No one's asking for a mass expulsion, just limits on immigration and an assertion of traditions in a considerate way.
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Restriction of driving licences
Posted by stuart mayhead at 16:17 UAE time
Nurses? These are highly qualified and essential professionals and I was shocked to see them in the same sentence as cooks and housemaids. The region needs to attract professionals not reject them. When we have a good and cheap public transport system then and only then will these measures work.
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Professional
Posted by Karen at 14:48 UAE time
What happens to the maids(men and women) who are cleaning, cooking, driving and bringing up Emirati children....whos going to drive their cars for them, whos going to build their buildings for them, whos going stitch their clothes for them...a driving licence is a basic right in any country. the uae government should come up with an unmistakable public transport service that is efficient and cost-effective. And, dubai should understand this is not singapore, we cant build a singapore here, we dont hav the weather, the laws or the nature to create a singapore. singapore has a lifestyle of walking, this country doesnt. I wonder what would happend if every Expat living here left the country, whos would wash their cars, deliver their KFC's, fill up their tanks, bring up their kids, wipe their floors......picture an Emirati working at the gas station or delivering pizza......unimaginable! And, for all this talk about if you dont like the country then leave, every person living here has the right to criticise and change the services they are offered or not offered, to air their happiness or unhappiness....in the end the expats are offering more revenue to the UAE economy than the Emiratis themselves.....
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Posted on Thursday, 4 December 2008
Brilliant!
Posted by SR at 17:51 UAE time
What a brilliant idea, all this while we have been suffering in heavy traffic because of all such "menial workers" in their high emission vehicles!
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UAE blocks low-paid workers from driving - report
Posted by Maria at 16:25 UAE time
I am from the GCC, have good job and a hold 2 degrees from reputed universities so THANKFULLY I do not fall into this group, together with the fact that I already have a valid driving license. However, I have NEVER heard of a more unfair rule and I think reader comments such as 'come back to where you came from' are very discriminatory. EVERYONE has a right to a driving license. Also, given that to get a taxi in Sharjah is next to impossible, how can we come up with these rules???
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Low Paid Workers
Posted by Donald Duck at 13:30 UAE time
I actually dont think this law is being invoked because of the amount of traffic on the roads of Dubai, but in fact, its because of the one villa one family rule, they have kicked these people out of affordable homes, they want to make sure they cant sleep in their cars....
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To Jawad
Posted by Doug at 13:23 UAE time
Ah, so it's perfectly acceptable to treat people like commodities or animals, provided of course we're slightly nicer to them than they would have been at home, is it?
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Insane rule
Posted by K Abdulla at 13:06 UAE time
Limiting the number of licenses will not reduce the number of cars on the road. How many cooks and gardeners can afford a car ?
If you want to reduce cars on the road, provide efficient and easily accessible alternate sources of transport. The metro is a good idea, but target it for the masses, not the rich. Pricing the metro at 20 dhs one way is not going to help. Make it cheaper and you will see more than triple the volume of users, hence less cars on the road.
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Yes Jawad...lets all leave
Posted by Brandaid at 12:06 UAE time
Yes, let's put Nurses in with labourers, let's stop complaining and being logical about this, let's just shut up or get out, what a wonderful place...the beaches awash with sewage, rents sky high, banks tight fisted, Summers hot, hours long, endless traffic jams, fees for everything etc., Can't get an appointment for an ID card? Just leave. Salik doesn't work, so leave, the RTA failed to plan the roads properly and throwing money at things after it's broke won't fix it this time, Heh, why not penalize the lower levels of society a bit more? Let's take away their transport, let's throw them out of Villa's, let's make them pay for ID cards etc. I think everyone should just leave if they don't like the way things are, let's not express our views on how to improve things, let's just leave...and leave the place to the nationals of the UAE....50 or more apartments and villas will be available to every one of them, the roads clear for them to drive at insane speeds and flash their lights at each other, none of us "complainers' around to bother them...What a wonderful place they would have all to themselves...
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Typical
Posted by Rainigade at 09:54 UAE time
Dear Jawad - yes, what a typical reaction to have! How dare we criticize ANYTHING right? How dare we not only have an opinion but then have the audacity to air it!? Like you said - no one cares about what we think so the least we can do is get it off our chests and have a bit of a moan. Some of us de-stress by getting things off our chests. But I guess you dont need that. Lucky you.
And another thing - what "repressive regimes" are represented in the comments below? From what I see, there's Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Chicago and Bahrain. Really?! Repressive regimes?
Obviously your Emotional Intelligence levels do not extend enough to garner any kind of empathy with people of "a certain level" that I'm guessing is BENEATH you!
How astonishing that you find discrimination of a certain class of people in order to fix the symptom of a problem rather than the problem itself, perfectly ok.
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Jawad of Sharjah ..........
Posted by Jane Doe at 09:03 UAE time
What in the world would the UAE do without all the labourers who are biulding these fantastic BIGGEST, buildings in the world at such a miserable salary?
As for the nurses - nowhere in the world are they not called Professional; what an arrogant lot the people who invented this new rule must be. But of course, I'm guessing that if something goes wrong with their health, they're the ones who are on the first flight out of here!
Shame on you all.
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