The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) will take over the task of processing applications for recruitment of domestic workers from the Ministry of Interior, it was announced on Saturday.
The change, approved by the Council of Ministers, will come into force from the first quarter of 2017, with Dubai being the first emirate to adopt the new procedure before it is rolled out across the country from the second quarter of the year.
Domestic workers are those employed by households, including housemaids, cooks, security guards, drivers, gardeners, and shepherds.
The news comes follows reports of a campaign by embassies and recruitment agencies in the country, which argued that housemaids should be better regulated by the UAE’s labour office to give them increased protection in the event of maltreatment by employers.
At present, domestic workers are regulated by the Ministry of Interior, whose enforcement agency is Dubai Police, meaning housemaids must take employment disputes and claims to the police. The rest of the workforce is regulated by the MOHRE and can take cases to the labour office.
The campaigners had argued that housemaids found it intimidating to have to take claims to the police.
According to local media, Saqr Ghobash, minister of human resources and emiratisation, said in a statement on Saturday that the ministry would aim to build on the strong work carried out by the Interior Ministry, and stressed the importance of having employment regulation under one government umbrella.
He said the ministry would work with the Interior Ministry – specifically the Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – to gain from its experience of issuing work permits.
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