Work, work, work
October 25, 2005

India move to protect its workers abroad (Khaleej Times): "this is a move to safeguard the rights of Indian labourers abroad, especially in the Gulf region including UAE, where labourers are now frequently protesting against their employers. “Delhi is keen on solving the issues of Indian workers, and that is the reason we have decided to implement a new rule in which the companies have to obtain clearance with the Indian missions in their country when they hire unskilled labourers, skilled labourers, and semi-skilled labourers.”"

New rule may allow lending of workers (KT): "The system will help to a great extent in making use of the surplus labourers, who remain without work for a long time, informed circles in the labour market affirmed. The system is also advantageous to both parties, since the borrowing company will meet its needs in a very short time-span and with reduced fees, while the lending company will not bear the responsibility and expenses of labourers, who have no work to attend to. Thus, the system is a compromise between sponsorship transfer and the obtaining of labourers from abroad."

Concern on growing joblessness in Fujairah (KT): " The general view was that one of the main causes for the unemployment was the inability of some regions, particularly the eastern coast, to attract investment in industry and other employment-generating projects. "We are aware that unemployment rate is going up, with 3200 nationals jobless, 70 per cent of them females. They have not been able to find jobs near their residences as imposed by our customs and traditions. This necessitates immediate intervention of officials to tackle the problem".... "

Gulf News has several articles today on immigration and visas including,

• Visa trade spawns castles in the sand
• 'Poor fall prey to agents'
• Trading in visas not a crime in itself: "When a company applies for visas we check if it really exists, he said. The modus operandi of bogus operators is simple, he said. Some people rent a place to open a fake company, get a trade licence and then apply for group visas, which they then sell."

Most women in UAE are well-respected at workplace (GN): Based on an online survey so the scientific validity is questionable.

UPDATE 26 Oct: Dr. Ali Abdulla Al Ka'abi, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs says, "We will rearrange and clean up the ministry from inside. We have already started by issuing new rules for organising the labour market, and now it is time to work on our workplace ethics" . . . "Each department is isolating itself, and that will stop. We want the ministry's accomplishments to be a trademark in the country. The ministry also needed to foster an organisational culture based on transparency, accountability and the rule of law."