| Life is not a "bundle of roses" for expatriate | | | | Labour Office in Abu Dhabi. |
| workers in the Middle East as most of us think. | | | | Laws were introduced to make it mandatory for |
| Once the ultimate job destination for numerous | | | | firms with 50 or more workers to submit |
| Indians, Chinese, and Pakistanis, today, Gulf | | | | statements proving that wages had been paid and |
| countries face a severe crunch of skilled workers | | | | received by their employees. Meanwhile, about |
| these days. Thanks to the economic progress of | | | | 1,350 unpaid workers were allowed to find a new |
| most of the Asian countries. | | | | job and 48,000 workers changed jobs last year. |
| Still the number of expats in the Middle East is | | | | Improper accommodation and living standards for |
| quite large and the challenge of protecting their | | | | workers, an important issue highlighted often by |
| rights in this region has been highlighted in the | | | | various human rights groups, led to thirty |
| media as well as many government reports. It is | | | | companies in Dubai being ordered to improve |
| estimated that more than 90 per cent of the | | | | worker's living conditions last year. In this matter |
| private sector workforce, belong to places outside | | | | Dubai Civil Defence Department has played a |
| the Emirates and they collectively sent money | | | | significant role when it announced that it would |
| home worth US$16 billion (Dh58.79bn) as | | | | suspend the licence applications or renewals of |
| payments in 2006. | | | | any company, which have failed to achieve safety |
| A report of the Ministry of Labour of UAE said | | | | compliance certificates for their workers. |
| that it is facing immense challenges in enforcing | | | | The Government has certainly made efforts to |
| the rights of this huge foreign populace in this | | | | enforce labour laws to see that the labour |
| period of rapid inflation. The Government on its | | | | populace lives a life which is safe and healthy. It is |
| part forced various companies to pay out | | | | also seen that the low or unpaid wages and low |
| lump-sum amount as unpaid wages to their | | | | standards of accommodation have resulted in |
| workers last year and suspended numerous | | | | many riots and violence throughout the country. |
| labour permits of companies that were not | | | | About 1,500 Sharjah workers were also involved |
| successful in paying adequately to their workers. | | | | in a riot in March during which they attacked the |
| In fact, the rising cost of living in the Middle East is | | | | public, destroyed properties and clashed with the |
| putting expats under a lot of financial burden. | | | | police. |
| According to the Ministry of Labour of UAE, | | | | The recruitment companies have repeatedly |
| non-payment or late payment of wages is the | | | | warned about the threat of decrease in the |
| "most conspicuous" labour abuse by employers. | | | | supply of migrant workers or expats as cost of |
| "Overseeing the expatriate workforce in this | | | | living has risen to a record high. |
| country is a big challenge, but the Government | | | | "The availability of workers is not the problem. |
| has made good recent progress in putting policies | | | | The problem is that the pool of those who are |
| in place to enforce its laws and improve | | | | willing to come is shrinking," said Samir Khosla, the |
| standards," said Nasser Munder, the labour | | | | Vice-Chairman of the labour recruiting firm |
| attaché with the Philippines Overseas | | | | Dynamic Staffing Services. |