Gulf News, May 11, 2013

Ministry finds six firms violating labour laws in Dubai

Teams join hands with Dubai Police to conduct inspections of 80 companies

Staff Report

Published: 21:30 May 10, 2013

Dubai: Best efforts to root out employment of illegal workers are put into effect daily by the Ministry of Labour but a small number of businesses inspected by authorities continue to operate with complete disregard for the law, say officials. Mahir Al Obed, Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour for inspection affairs, said that the ministry has caught six establishments employing 24 workers in violation of labour and residency laws, among which, two are minors. This, he said, violates the law of organising labour relations and foreigners entry and residence law. The ministry had conducted an inspection campaign last week in cooperation with Dubai Police, which included 80 establishments and companies. Obed revealed that 74 establishments inspected were completely in line with the country’s laws and regulations. “The ministry has referred the violating establishments to the public persecution’s office to take the appropriate measures, and other administrative measures such as depriving them from new labour permits,” he added. Minor’s work Obed considered that having 74 law abiding establishments among the 80 visited companies during the inspection campaign was one that points to the increase in awareness within labour owners to the necessity of using temporary contractual labour, including minors, according to the laws and decisions regulating the country’s labour market. He also pointed out the importance of abiding by rules and regulations regarding the work of minors as these laws were set up to regulate this category’s work relations in a manner which protects them under the umbrella of the labour law in the country. He added that the decision issued by Minister of Labour and was implemented in 2011 applies a number of rules to issue a minor’s work permit to those who have completed 15 years of age and have not yet completed 18 years. Among the rules applied is to obtain a written consent of the minor’s legal guardian, his birth certificate, or estimated age certificate issued by official health authorities, and another certificate indicating the medical fitness of the minor to join the work. Obed also said that for the Dh500 permit to be issued, the non–UAE citizen minor and his family have to have a valid residency fixed in their passports, and that the work where the minor is to be employed does not impose any danger on him. There are currently 31 job titles where minors are not allowed to work. He added that minors have all the labour rights of ordinary workers in the labour law and the decisions executing these laws. The maximum work hours for minors are not to exceed six hours daily and have to be interspersed by one or more resting period for a meal or prayers and not to exceed one hour in time. Inspection This period must be distributed in a way where the minor does not work for more than four continuous hours at a time. The law also prohibits giving minors overtime work chores no matter what the circumstances may be. Moreover, a minor is not to be given work on his off days. Eisa Al Zarouni, director of the Inspection Department at the Ministry, said that the inspection campaign was carried out among vehicle maintenance and vehicle painting establishments in Al Ramool area, where 33 Ministry of Labour inspectors took part and 14 others from Dubai Police.