Nannies, employers hail protection of domestic workers in the UAE

Dubai: Domestic workers, employers and advocates of migrant workers’ rights have hailed the recent agreement by the UAE and Philippines on household service workers (HSWs) and called it a landmark pact in ensuring workers’ welfare.

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and Philippine Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) announced on Tuesday the official deployment of domestic workers from the Philippines to the UAE — which stopped in 2014 — will resume next month.

Perez was one of the lucky ones who have had kind and generous employers. But there were others who were recruited illegally from their home country. One group of domestic workers said they reported instances where a domestic worker was poured with boiling water by her employer; some were deprived of food or locked up. There was also a maid who jumped from a small window of a flat in a medium-rise building. “Most of the victims were trafficked and they came to the UAE illegally,” noted Perez.

According to the Philippine government, the issue of illegal recruitment was the crux of the suspension of HSWs back in 2014. Then Philippine Labour minister Rosalinda Baldoz announced the suspension of deployment of verified domestic workers to the UAE following the introduction of a unified contract by the UAE Ministry of Interior that led to the suspension of various embassies’ role in verifying and attesting contracts. Baldoz said: “Without the necessary verification, HSWs bound for the UAE, might fall prey to human traffickers. I am concerned that without the requisite verification, HSWs who will travel to UAE will be vulnerable to human trafficking, which we must avoid at all cost.”

After the deployment ban, UAE and Philippine labour officials conducted a series of bilateral talks to resolve the conflicting recruitment rules.

On Tuesday, DOLE Undersecretary Claro Arellano, head of the Philippine delegation, said the sending of Filipino workers will resume in April following a two-day Joint Committee Meeting in Manila. He noted an agreement has been reached that will be covered by a Unified Employment Contract (UEC) that will “stringent measures to protect Filipino domestic workers.”

Current DOLE minister Silvestre Bello III dubbed the agreement as a milestone in both the UAE and Philippine governments’ efforts to further protect Filipino migrant workers. The Philippine government also reiterated its position to deploy the workers through legal channels.

Almazar noted domestic workers are some of the most vulnerable sectors of society. “Giving them more rights in law shows that we are a society that values human dignity. Our domestic workers do not simply iron our clothes, prepare food in our table or clean our house, they don’t just make our lives easier, they enable us to enrich our lives,” he underlined.

“It has been suggested to have a dedicated helpline or online portal to contact MOHRE and its Philippine counterpart to make sure the contractual terms are observed. “Both the Philippine and UAE governments must audit on a regular basis the status of the domestic workers and ensure the employers are following the rules,” Almazar added.

Guinto noted the provisions stipulated in the UAE-Philippines agreement are recognition of basic human rights. “The right of the domestic worker to take at least eight hours of sleep every night; to have a day-off; the right to keep his/her passport or documents; to get paid on time and have a bank account for payment of salary; to have and use cellular phones and other communication devices are inviolable and inherent rights of workers,” she underlined.