Amnesty expected soon

A date has not yet been confirmed for the issuance of an amnesty for illegal immigrants, however, it is expected to be announced soon, said Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

"The ministry is not the authority in charge of announcing the amnesty," he told Gulf News. "This is expected to be announced by the Ministry of Interior.

The amnesty will be announced at the right time, as well as the amendments to the labour law, he said.

The amendments will cover 20 to 30 articles of the labour law out of 193, he said.

"We hold regular meetings with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, the Ministry of Finance and Industrial Affairs, Fatwa and Legislation and other ministries and departments regarding the amendment of the labour law," he said,
Dr Khalid Al Khazraji, Undersecretary of the ministry, assured that there are no major obstacles facing the committee working on the amendment of the labour law.

"We are holding discussions with the other ministries and departments to make sure that the new labour law will not be in conflict with any other law in the country," he said.

Al Tayer added: "We are studying the banking insurance, the recruitment of unskilled labourers, such as janitors, who must have a minimum high school degree. They should at least know how to read and write!"

The minister stressed that he will not accept illiterate labourers in the country.

He explained that there will be fundamental changes made in the labour law regarding UAE national sponsors, and the transfer of sponsorship.

Al Tayer said that the new labour law will focus on emiratisation because "the labour market in the country needs all its nationals to help in the development."

He explained that everyone, especially the young generation, has a chance to find a job, and he urged them to make use of all the opportunities set before them to build a future in the private sector.

"The labour market in the country is an open market. There is a high degree of competition in the market, which is why there is a need for qualified individuals. To qualify, one must work hard," he said.

Al Tayer warned young UAE nationals that in order to keep their jobs, they must continue to work hard as "the chance to get a good job may come only once, and never again".

The minister encouraged youngsters to learn from others and to closely watch how they do their job.

"There is great support from the private sector for emiratisation," he said, adding that consultative councils in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also prepared to guide young people into the private sector.

According to Al Tayer, the National Human Resources Employment and Development Authority (Tanmia) is supported by President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and he called on the private sector to work in cooperation with it.

Within a few days, the ministry will launch a website, where UAE nationals can locate job vacancies within 10 days. The service is free of charge, and allows job seekers to post their resumés for prospective employers.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, CEO of Mashreqbank, said yesterday that 54 students attended the learning programme of the Mashreqbank, which was initially for one week, but later extended to two weeks.

He said the programme was sponsored by government departments, multinational companies, private and public sector firms.

"This programme is a successful programme, and it will help students to know, which subjects to choose in university," he said, speaking at the Mashreqbank Summer Learnings Programme award ceremony yesterday at Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

The ceremony was attended by Al Tayer, Al Khazraji, and officials from the Dubai Civil Aviation Department, Dubai Naturali-sation and Residency Department (DNRD), Dubai Media City, among others.