Teachers' demand for labour card fee refund 'valid'

Dubai: Teachers' demands for refunds of fees deducted from their salaries to pay for labour cards are legitimate, said the Minister of Education.

An earlier Ministry of Education circular, issued in 2000, stipulated that teachers on husband's or father's visas should pay for labour card fees.

This was in violation of the labour law which says the employer must pay for these fees. Some education zones followed the education ministry's circular, while others adhered to the labour law.

Following a recent Gulf News report, the Ministry of Education revoked the old circular and issued a new one, which makes all schools fall in line with the labour law.

Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education, yesterday told Gulf News: "Teachers already have low salaries and thus their demands for refunds are legitimate ... it will be taken into consideration. We will always try to ensure the rights of our teachers."

'Unprofessional'

Dr Abdul Rahman Issa, Principal of Al Hossin Private School, said: "We never asked teachers to pay for their labour cards because it was unprofessional."

Since the new circular was issued, teachers have demanded a refund.

A teacher, working in a private school in Ajman, said: "We had been fighting for this change for a long time. We even submitted a petition to the principal last year asking them to stop the salary deduction but no action was taken. We did not take the case further as we were unsure if the deduction was lawful or not.

"Last week our school management told us that they had received a new circular from the Ministry of Education and that they will refund us for the deductions together with year-end dues."

Another teacher said her school has not asked for labour card fees from new employees after the circular was issued but the matter is still uncertain for old employees.

"We have to wait till the end of the month before we get to know if they will continue to deduct the fees. I doubt anyone will pay because earlier we were not aware of our rights but now things have become clearer," she said.

Classification

Labour cards fees depending on the classification of the school at the Ministry of labour:

New labour cards:

• Category A: Dh1,000
• Category B: Dh2,000
• Category C: Dh3,000

Additional Dh200 for applying for a work permit for those on husband's or father's visa.

Renewal of labour cards:

• Category A: Dh500
• Category B: Dh1,500
• Category C: Dh2,500