UAE | Employment

Workers fear passports will be withheld

Many workers fear they will not be able to leave during the amnesty because their sponsors are demanding money to release their passports.

  • By Wafa Issa and Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporters
  • Published: 23:36 August 15, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Some amnesty seekers are being pressured by employers to pay money for the release of their passports. Workers are encouraged to file complaints at the Ministry of Labour.
  • Image Credit: Asghar Khan/Gulf News

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Many workers fear they will not be able to leave during the amnesty because their sponsors are demanding money to release their passports.

Their fears have heightened because there is less than three weeks for the amnesty to expire.

Dr Ali Bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi, Minister of Labour, told Gulf News yesterday, that demanding money in exchange for passports is an "unacceptable practice and that the ministry will be tough on sponsors who commit such acts."

The Cabinet in a move to regulate the labour market, had granted a three-month grace period, on June 3, to illegal expatriate workers and their employers to either adjust their status or leave the country without a penalty.

"The ministry has warned companies since the start of the amnesty not to take advantage of the amnesty situation and enforced heavy penalties on violators and we will continue with our procedures," said Al Ka'abi.

Penalties

Earlier last month, the minister had issued directives to penalise such companies by fining them Dh10,000 and stopping the sponsors' transactions with the ministry.

Workers who were pressured by previous employers were encouraged to file a complaint at the labour relations department.

"The ministry has been looking into all complaints submitted and measures have been taken by the authorities concerned to ensure that workers get their passports back," said Al Ka'abi.

"Anyone who has filed a complaint at the ministry and his complaint has not been looked into can submit a letter at the open day and we will investigate the matter."

R.P., an amnesty seeker from India, had absconded from a company one year ago because he said he was not paid his salary. "When there was no way to get food, I absconded and started doing odd jobs," he said.

When the authorities announced the amnesty, R.P. saw hope in returning home but his hopes diminished when his previous company demanded Dh1,000 in exchange for his passport.

There are similar cases across the country and many workers do not have the money to pay. Some employers are also demanding all work permit expenses that can total up to Dh7,000.

Eman Mohammad, from the Eidad Service typing office, said this problem has existed, but there has been a noticeable increase since the amnesty was announced.

"The workers do not know who to contact to get their issue solved," she said. We usually advise them to file a complaint at the ministry, but it is not clear how many of them have actually got their passports back."

Cancellation

Fadelallah, a typist in Al Maha typing office, said that through his job he has come into contact with several people who claimed they have had the same problem.

"Each week we get 15 cases where amnesty seekers cannot simply cancel their visa because their employers are refusing to give them back their passports unless they give them a certain amount of money," he said.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 0 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

Related Articles

  1. Companies return passports

    Companies persuaded to return passports of absconding labourers

  2. Embassies try for solutions with sponsors

    Embassies try for amicable solutions with sponsors

More from UAE Employment

  1. Ministry to shut down typing centres

  2. UAE committed to protecting rights of foreign workforce

  3. Al Gharbia job fair attracts big turnout

  4. Errant employers face prosecution

All articles in Employment

More from UAE

Gulf News
Popular in UAE
Living in untidy homes
Have your say

Living in untidy homes

Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?

Latest news
Community Reports

More from Community Reports

Weather

More from Weather