Sunday, April 27, 2014

Hiring illegal maids Violators in UAE could face jail sentence and fines up to Dh100,000

In a bid to crackdown on offenders who hire house help illegally, Ministry of Interior officials may conduct random checks within residential communities in Dubai to tackle the problem.
In a circular distributed to residents in its communities, master developer Emaar Properties has warned residents to be wary of hiring maids, gardeners and drivers through illegal ways.
“Don’t break the law by hiring illegal household staff,” reads a circular issued by the community management arm of the developer.
The company has advised its residents that the UAE’s Ministry of Interior will be “conducting random checks within the community and should they find persons working illegally in your home (e.g. housemaids, gardeners, drivers etc.), you could face a jail sentence and substantial fines ranging between Dh50,000 and Dh100,000.”
Residents have been advised to only keep staff members who are under their sponsorship or hired through a professional household service company.
As the city grows and expats and new professionals arrive each day, the housekeeping market is flourishing in Dubai. Hiring illegally can be a cheaper option but one that is very risky and can put your family in danger. Dubai Police have repeatedly cautioned residents against hiring cheap but dangerous labour, saying this can make them vulnerable to crime, especially if they have small children to be taken care of.
Despite repeated warnings by the authorities, some households are still found using the services of maids and drivers who are not hired as per the law. To step up security and to make it difficult for such ‘freelance workers’ to get access into the communities, the property developer has asked residents to register their staff with the community security after which they will be issued an ID card.

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