Abu Dhabi employees want exemption from residence rule

Abu Dhabi: Emirati women living in Dubai who work for Abu Dhabi Government have said they want an exemption from a new rule that stipulates all government staff should live in Abu Dhabi emirate by the end of September.

“I am living with my family in Dubai but finding it hard to convince my parents that I have to live alone in Abu Dhabi to comply with this rule,” an unmarried Emirati woman, who works for an Abu Dhabi Government organisation, told Gulf News on Sunday.

She will be some of the government staff who will be considered for exemption from the rule, Gulf News learned on Sunday.

Welcoming the government’s humanitarian gesture, the Emirati woman said she knows many married and unmarried Emirati women who work for Abu Dhabi Government but live in their own villas in Dubai with their families.

“They all can avoid the trouble of arranging separate accommodation in Abu Dhabi if they get an exemption from the rule,” she said.

She requested anonymity as she was not authorised to speak to the media.

Government sources said all employees facing problems complying with the rule can request an exemption but each case will be considered on its own merit.

The mechanism and criteria to deal with such requests are expected to be announced soon.

However, many employees who had difficulty in moving to Abu Dhabi still did so without anticipating that there would be a provision for exemption.

A Western expatriate, who works for an Abu Dhabi-owned company, said after relocating to Abu Dhabi his wife now has to drive to her workplace in Dubai on a daily basis. Instead of me, she is driving about one to one-and-half hours from Al Reef in Abu Dhabi to Dubai city, he said.

His two children have also moved to an Abu Dhabi school.

But he was able to get a more spacious three-bedroom apartment in Al Reef compared with his previous apartment in Dubai Marina that had the same rent. “I enjoy this privilege,” he said.

Still there are some employees who do not want to move to Abu Dhabi.

Mohammad Kamali, a 38-year-old Emirati from Dubai, said he had not considered moving to Abu Dhabi even after the government decree was announced.

“I have lived in Dubai all my life and my entire family is located there. At present, my five children are also being privately schooled in Dubai. So moving to Abu Dhabi does not really seem like a viable option,” Kamali said.

Kamali undertakes a two-hour commute twice a day to reach his workplace in the capital.

“I am willing to do it though because I like my job here,” he said.

“If I complied with the government decree and moved to Abu Dhabi with my children it would cost me less to enrol them at a public school. But I prefer that they grow up surrounded by relatives and family members in Dubai,” he added.

Asked if his decision affected his housing allowance, Kamali said he was unsure.

“Still, if I find that there is a significant impact upon my earnings because I haven’t moved to Abu Dhabi, I am willing to resign and find a similar job in Dubai,” he added.