Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

Six Month Labor Ban Maybe Scrapped

Now, this is going to be something to soothe recession related tension expats are facing these days. As Arabian Business reports, the six-month labor ban in Dubai may be revised or scrapped altogether. The move comes in the wake of thousands of expatriates losing their jobs in Dubai due to tough economic conditions.

Currently, 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. Unless the previous sponsor approves of it with a “no-objection certificate.”

Now, as more and more laborers are getting fired with each passing day, relaxing the six-month ban will provide an opportunity to the employers who want to re-hire from existing resource pool. It will certainly cut down the recruitment costs if an employee has to transfer from one employer to another, while not leaving UAE, rather than going for a fresh recruitment process.

This move will greatly help those who are being recently sacked due to the economic conditions as they can get new jobs without leaving and waiting for six-months, as in old system.

dubai expat life

Private Employers Cannot Sack Emiratis, Law Passed

The Ministry of Laboure has passed a regulation, virtually banning the termination of UAE nationals from private sector.

The sacking of Emiratis will be unlawful if:

– the worker has not violated the labour law.
– expatriates are doing the same job that the sacked Emirati used to do.

The company will have to notify the ministry 30 days in advance in case of terminating an Emirati.

After the notification, the ministry will enter into a discussion with the employer and employees and try to investigate the reasons behind the termination, and based on that the ministry will inform the company of the requirements within 15 days of the notification.

This regulation, more or less, put Emiratis above any accountability at the work place (as if they give a damn at this moment). It came in the wake of statement by Dubai Police chief, saying Dubai police will commercially boycott such companies.

Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

Law to ban private sector companies from sacking Emiratis

It has now been confirmed that what was quoted by Dubai Police Chief was not a mis-interpretation, as suggested by some media articles, but something that has been considered to be implemented as a Law in Dubai.

National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) has submitted a draft proposal to the Ministry of Labour under which cases pertaining to the termination of Emiratis working in the private sector are to be evaluated.

The proposal suggests that the termination of Emiratis in private sector companies is to be considered arbitrary unless the employee has violated the labour law.

The Tanmia proposal also stipulates that any company in the private sector forced to terminate Emiratis as part of restructuring policies aimed at increasing competitiveness, review of production costs in tough times, or in cases involving mergers between companies should duly inform the ministry of labour about such a move before any decision.

Also, as per the proposal, no company will be allowed to sack an Emirati before it has exhausted all avenues to find a suitable solution.

The proposal outlines a number of steps that a company should mandatorily satisfy before terminating Emiratis such as implementing a part-time system, repackaging salaries on the condition that they don’t go below the minimum wage for Emiratis (which is between Dh3,000-Dh5,000 – depending on the qualifications), relocating them within the company or training them to handle other positions in the company.

Additionally, an employer in the private sector will also not be allowed to terminate an Emirati on the pretext that he/she does not have the required qualifications and skills, if the employee has completed her/his probation period.