Dubai: Visitors to the Ministry of Labour in Dubai say they are facing difficulty in reaching the counters they need to due to tight security precautions.
Members of the public, who need to finish a transaction or lodge a complaint at the Ministry, must undergo security check before they are allowed into the customer service waiting hall.
"There are a number of security guards standing in front of that door. They will ask a number of questions in a rude way," a customer told Gulf News on Saturday.
The Emirati man said that when he went to apply for labour cards for his workers, the security person asked him several questions like why he was there, what he wanted and where he was headed to and many more before giving him a piece of paper asking him to give it to a person who is giving tokens.
"I took the paper to the token security person who looked at the man who gave me the paper to check whether he gave it to me," the man said.
"I asked him if he thought that I wrote it myself. Then a policeman standing over there also checked the paper before giving me a token," he said.
He said only then was the door to the customer service hall opened and he was able to have a seat there.
Another person said she went to lodge a complaint against her sponsor but it took her several hours to do so.
"I had to pass through the token security people and police.
"I was escorted by police to the labour dispute section," she said.
The woman said no department or office ever closed the customer service hall.
Another visitor said there should not be any doors, police or private security company staff at the Ministry of Labour.
"A front or information desk or even a reception is enough. The visitors can check there about the counter they should go to and they can be helped with the token they have to take in order to reach directly the counter they want.
"Why is the Ministry keeping those security staff there? They are rude with public and they talk to us as if they own the Ministry," said a customer.
Another customer said he went to the Labour Ministry and after being interrogated by the security people about why he was at the Labour Ministry, he was allowed in.
"I went to the labour dispute section and police was standing behind me. I don't understand why. When my relative tried to translate what the person was telling me they called police to take her out," he said.
Another person said the security and police personnel asked several questions before giving him a token and letting him in.
"I told the security person that I am at the Ministry because I have some work to do. I am not here for picnic or trip. They waste our time and their own time. Add to that they make the place messy, crowded and noisy when they interrogate every person who comes to take a token. In addition, the place is too small to keep people waiting and ask one by one several questions before opening the door and letting them take a seat."
Clarification: Safety is prime concern
According to an official of the Ministry of Labour, the ministry is being visited daily by thousands of people of different backgrounds on a daily basis who need to do different work here.
"We need to check on people coming to the Ministry in order to keep it safe and organised," he said.
Have you faced a similar issue? How was it dealt with? Do you know of any other departments that follow such procedures?
