KHALEEJ TIMES, Monday, Jan 25, 2021 | Jamadi Al Thani 12, 1442
New UAE domestic help law: Some hiring firms to continue operations
Emirates:
A number of UAE private recruitment firms for domestic helpers — whose
services are yet to be stopped — have been given a chance to apply for
Tadbeer licences that would allow them to continue their operations, the
authorities have said.
Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE)
said the ministry has conducted a survey to assess the market’s needs for
domestic helpers and gauged how many centres are required to ensure that
families’ needs are not affected.
“The study concluded that there was need to provide at least 60 service centres
for domestic helpers at the state level,” said Al Hamli, adding that the
ministry has given priority to ‘old or existing’ recruitment offices that were
scheduled to close in March. They were asked to submit their applications for
Tadbeer licences.
On Tuesday, Al Hamli told members of the Federal National Council (FNC) that the
ministry had closed 250 recruitment offices for domestic workers in the UAE
after their licences had expired. He noted that the remaining 10 offices were to
shut down in March.
The move is to streamline the hiring of this category of blue-collar employees
and better protect their rights.
“The presence of 60 Tadbeer centres will contribute to completing the process of
shutting down all the old recruitment offices, as well as completing the new
system of Tadbeer services. Currently, there are 54 Tadbeer centers across the
UAE,” said Al Hamli.
Tadbeer centres whose services are regulated by MoHRE have replaced the agencies
for recruiting domestic helpers. They are now primarily responsible for bringing
housemaids, nannies and other domestic workers from abroad.
These centres have set a new standard for the provision of services to domestic
workers, enabling access to better information and training, and ensuring that
working conditions and accommodation are complied with.
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