UAE construction sector wages to be reviewed Monday, Nov 5 2007 

Abu Dhabi and Dubai and UAE and amnesty and expatriates and human rights and illegal immigrants and real estate and updates eupdate 11:10 am

The UAE government has announced a review of workers’ wages in the construction sector, following a series of strikes recently. The Cabinet has ordered a study on the salaries of construction workers. In the next few days, the Labour Ministry of the emirates will be contacting concerned companies in this regard.

The Labour Ministry requires that employers pay salaries without any deduction for any reason whatsoever. The decision of the government to look into the salaries of construction workers comes as a response to strikes by workers against poor living conditions and meagre wages.

At the same time, the government has made it clear that it will not tolerate any violent turn in workers’ protests. Last week acts of vandalism were reported from a few incidents across the emirates.

It is estimated that over 700,000 Asians are construction workers in the UAE. The country already affluent due to its rich oil reserves has been experiencing an economic boom from its real estate sector in recent years. Naturally, construction workers’ unrest has grave consequences for the UAE economy.

 

The Dark Underbelly of Property Boom in UAE Saturday, Nov 3 2007 

Abu Dhabi and Dubai and UAE and amnesty and expatriates and illegal immigrants and real estate and sharjah eupdate 9:08 am

The boom in the property market of Dubai over recent years has cropped up a number of socio-economic issues. The darker side of swanky buildings and high-rise apartments is the ever-widening gulf between the rich and the poor in the emirate. Recent strikes by immigrant workers in the emirates are just one of the many offshoots of the immiscible social inequity.

Majority of construction workers and labourers in the UAE earn a meagre sum of 600-1000 AED per month, which is not even enough to make both ends meet in the region. In stark contrast is the average monthly salary in the emirates that amounts to 10,000 AED. One can very well imagine the anxiety and frustration of thousands of labourers who cannot send money home because they don’t have anything to spare.

Moreover, immigrant workers in the emirates are forced to live in shanty suburbs at the fringes of luxury homes, state of the art artificial islands and avant-garde buildings.

Measures that must be taken immediately:

• Stringent action against employers who impound workers’ passports in order to prevent them from seeking employment elsewhere.
• Stringent action against employers who cheat employees of a part of the pay.
• Ban on working under the scorching summer sun of the Gulf.

The consequences of workers’ discontent can be grave for the development of the emirates. Majority of workforce in the UAE is constituted of expatriates often from developing countries. These poor souls, usually under debts, come to the Gulf with hopes of improving living conditions back home.

With poor living and working conditions on foreign shores and not a penny to spare, no wonder the famed property boom of the region might halt due to shortage of labour.

High time all concerned looked at it from a humanitarian perspective as well.

 

Amnesty deadline for illegal workers ends tomorrow Friday, Nov 2 2007 

Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah and UAE and amnesty and illegal immigrants and sharjah and updates eupdate 7:57 am

The extended duration of amnesty drive in the UAE that began on June 3, 2007 will end tomorrow i.e. November 3, 2007. More than 286,000 illegal workers have complied with the amnesty deadline.

The amnesty drive was aimed at making illegal workers in the UAE either legalize their status or leave the country. The official paperwork regarding amnesty has ended yesterday in most of the emirates. However, the drive will technically end tomorrow after which strict legal action will be taken against violators of labour and residency laws along with their sponsors.

Even non-departure before November 3 will result in legal action against the violator and his/her sponsor. Strict penalties will be implemented from Sunday, November 4, 2007. There will be country-wide inspections to track individually sponsored workers such as domestic helps and drivers. Organizations and commercial establishments will also not be spared.

Plans are in the offing for a collaborative effort among concerned government bodies such as the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Interior, chamber of commerce, municipalities and free zones in order to come up with a plan to further the aims of the drive. A timetable and plan of action will be formulated for surprise inspections to trace illegal workers still left in the country. In this regard, the security aspect of inspectors will also be duly taken care of.

According to the statistics with Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department, more than 90,000 applications for regularisation and over 157,000 exit passes were processed before October 8, 2007. The amnesty drive began on June 2, 2007 and ended on September 2, 2007. A grace period of two months was further added to the time frame. This was an opportunity for illegal workers living in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE to correct their status without facing any penalty.

Amnesty programme drawing to a close

 

Amnesty Programme Drawing to a Close Thursday, Aug 30 2007 

amnesty and expatriates and illegal immigrants dubai207 8:03 am

The 3 months amnesty period for illegal immigrants in the Emirates ends on September 2, 2007. A campaign to take stringent steps against immigrants who ignored the amnesty drive will follow. So far, around 2,50,000 people have taken advantage of the government’s amnesty programme. Of these, more than 45,000 amnesty seekers are Indian illegal workers in the UAE.

The UAE government has made it clear that the amnesty period will not be extended. However, the government has permitted that those amnesty seekers who are through with the formalities but have been unable to leave the country due to unavailability of air tickets or any other valid reason, have time till November 3, 2007. During this grace period, the illegal immigrants have the option to either regularise their status or leave the country. The grace period is not open to those who chose to obtain a work permit during the 3 month amnesty drive.

Mostly it is the low-wage construction labourers and domestic helpers that overstay their visit after their visas expire. In this wake, the UAE Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior have jointly launched an awareness programme for highlighting the pitfalls of undocumented labour.

Under the Emirates law, expatriates working illegally in the UAE face up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment which is followed by deportation. Employers of such workers, on the other hand, can face one month imprisonment and a penalty of 50,000 AED.