UAE | Employment
Officials sidestep contentious six-year residency cap for workers
After all day briefings among 22 nations, the Abu Dhabi consultation on labour steered away from the specific issues like the six-year cap on non-skilled workers and the issue of Kafala and focused on broader cooperation among sending and receiving countries of contractual workers.
- By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:54 January 22, 2008
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Abu Dhabi: After all day briefings among 22 nations, the Abu Dhabi consultation on labour steered away from the specific issues like the six-year cap on non-skilled workers and the issue of Kafala and focused on broader cooperation among sending and receiving countries of contractual workers.
“This conference is not about the six-year cap. That is a GCC issue. This conference we have a broader community and include countries like Korea and Indonesia that have nothing to do with the six-year cap,'' Ministry of Labour, assistant undersecretary, Yousuf Abdul Gani said.
The conference, consisting of both sending countries like Sri Lanka and receiving countries like the UAE and Kuwait, is the first of its kind in the UAE and is being praised by the International Organisation for Migration as a forward step to addressing the growing concern of workers. Director of IOM, the Switzerland-based lobby group, Gervais Appave, says this conference is not meant to address all the issues but to encourage dialogue between the stakeholders.
“You know, we are not going to get anywhere if we get bogged down by meticulous details. Although the details are very important, the main focus is the spirit of cooperation between both countries. And this is exactly what we are seeing.''
While news reports surrounding the UAE backing of a six-year cap has been imminent since the Saudi meeting of the GCC labour ministers last October, the delegations at the Abu Dhabi consultation are ignoring this issue and the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UAE says this is an important issue.
“In my opinion, the six-year cap is a significant matter that should not be left out. It affects more than the UAE and the GCC. It affects us as well,'' Ambassador Mohammad Junaid said. Speaking on the six-year cap issue, Roosti Awati, assistant director of the International Cooperation affairs in Indonesia, which is a major source of labourers to the UAE said, “It only makes sense that unskilled workers have to return home to their country after they serve their contract.''
Combined policies
The Ministry of Labour will open the two-day Gulf Forum on Temporary Contractual Labour tomorrow at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The event is co-organised by the GCC Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in association with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Arab Labour Organisation (ALO), and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Dr Ali Bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi, Minister of Labour, said: “The forum will discuss several groundbreaking studies that will assist us in developing combined approaches, policies and regulations with respect to the administration of contractual labour in the GCC, in a manner that upholds workers rights and responds to our internal interests.'' ILO Regional Director for the Arab States, Nada Al Nashif, said: “We know that labour mobility in line with the pillars of decent Work – rights, employment, social protection and social dialogue – is important for the prosperity for all.''
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