Abu Dhabi, Dubai: Domestic workers over 60 years of age will be allowed to renew their employment contracts under certain conditions, the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has announced on Saturday.
However, the contract renewal will be subject to three conditions.
First, the worker should be physically fit and is to be proved by a medical certificate to be issued by relevant government authorities.
Second, the employer should bear the entire actual financial costs of the worker’s medical treatment in the UAE.
Third, an approval must be obtained from relevant bodies, allowing the continuation of the worker’s residency visa in the UAE.
Khalil Khoury, the Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic Work Affairs, said: “The move comes in line with the ministry’s efforts to meet growing needs of employers and families, who wish to keep the household workers who served for long years and believe that their services were not affected by their age.
“The renewal of contracts can be processed as per procedures in place to renew contracts except for workers and sailor, who require special approval from the ministry besides the above-mentioned three conditions. The new work permits for 60 year-old and above domestic workers shall only be issued to those who are already hired in the UAE and have their employment contracts expired for a period not later than three months” Khoury added.
The domestic workers include the following service work occupations: Housemaid, private sailor, watchman, security guard, household shepherd, family chauffeur, parking valet workers, household horse groomer, household falcon care-taker and trainer, domestic labourer, housekeeper, private coach, private teacher, babysitter/nanny, household farmer, gardener, private nurse, private PRO, private agriculture engineer, cook.
"Tadbeer" service centers provide all services associated with the employment of domestic workers, including opening a file for customers, issuing, renewing and cancelling work permits and contracts, receiving and withdrawing reports of interruption, processing all procedures related to the employment of domestic workers such as medical examination, health insurance, ID and residency visas.
Four packages
Tadbeer offers its services through four packages with specific price caps for each package. The first package (traditional package) provides the service of hiring a worker from outside the UAE for the contractual period of two years, while the second package (temporary package) will provide a domestic worker under Tadbeer sponsorship, who will not be allowed to be transferred as resident workers for their employers.
The third package (test package) provides a domestic worker for a contractual period of six months, after which the worker is allowed to be transferred with the consent of the concerned parties, while the fourth package (flexible package) provides a domestic worker under Tadbeer sponsorship for work on (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly basis etc.)
The smart app Tadbeer also allows users to view Tadbeer service centers in terms of name, location, contact details and official working hours. It also allows users to search for available domestic workers according to their nationalities and review their CVs, professional skills and practical experience. In addition, users can submit applications for contracting domestic workers, conduct interviews with them in the service center, access a number of awareness materials and other services.
The app has several features such as receiving alerts and responding to inquiries regarding the procedures and regulations observed in Tadbeer service centers through live chat.
