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New mechanism soon to recruit housemaids

DUBAI/ABU DHABI — The Ministry of Labour (MoL) is coordinating with the Ministry of Interior to set up a new mechanism for the recruitment of housemaids in the UAE. According to a senior official at the MoL, recent inspection campaigns had showed that up to 20 per cent of illegals in the private sector were domestic workers.

“The government is mulling over setting up a full-fledged system for housemaid recruitment. We need to reconsider the ways by which domestic workers are being brought into the country. That means more control on the recruitment offices,” said Humeid bin Demas, assistant undersecretary at MoL.

“During random inspections, we found that 20 per cent of illegals in the private sector were domestic workers. This is a worrying phenomenon and violations have to be reduced,” he said.

Commenting on the activities of recruitment agencies in the country, Bin Demas said the ministry has stopped issuing new licences to recruitment agencies since Minister of Labour Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka’abi took office about three years ago.

“There are over 500 offices dealing with the import of expatriate workforce. It is a number that should not be underestimated. We are still, however, renewing the existing licences. We are keeping a track of their activities and operations.”

Meanwhile, several recruitment companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have expressed concern over the Labour Ministry’s plans to ban recruitment through agencies, as reported by Khaleej Times yesterday.

Recruitment agents said if the government implements this decision, they will have to close down their businesses.

Refuting the MoL’s allegation that recruitment agencies are largely responsible for the increase in the number of illegals and absconding workers in the country and exploitation of gullible workers, several agencies said the fault does not lie with them entirely.

Oussama Abdel Aziz, manager of Global Recruitment Office in Dubai, said: “We help to link the employer and the employee. I have been running this company for seven years and our role is not just confined to importing manpower. We also follow up to ensure that the worker’s rights are protected. Though it is an open market, there is no union or syndicate that could protect our business and interests.”

Abdel Aziz, an agent in Abu Dubai, pointed out the lack of proper control over the recruitment business in the country.

“We have to incur heavy expenses, including Dh10,000 licence fee and Dh100,000 bank deposit, to start the business, whereas individuals or other so-called consultancy offices can do the same without making these payments,” he complained.

Ahmed, manager of Al Ghabs Recruitment in Dubai who has been running his business for more than 31 years in the UAE, said the recruitment agencies were not to be blamed for the violations.

“Recruitment offices merely ensure that the companies’ requirements are met when a labourer is brought into the UAE. The companies are the ones to assume the full responsibility because they are the sponsors and the visas are issued for them.

“There are some flaws in the market. In the past, licences were issued to recruitment offices in excess of the actual need of the labour market. Besides, we incur a lot of expenses to get the licence when others can bring in workers without paying them. There should be more control on unlicenced offices and also on companies that apply for visas in large numbers,” he said. Abdullah Hussein of a recruitment agency in Abu Dhabi hoped the ministry will issue fresh conditions for the entry of new workers.

Choudery Mohammed of another agency admitted that some recruitment agencies had committed gross violations by bringing in workers after charging exorbitant fees. Many of these workers, he said, arranged the money by selling all their belongings in their home country. Once they came here, they discovered that they had got nothing but false promises.