Age bar for Indian maids in Saudi Arabia set between 25 and 50 years

The age of Indian domestic workers looking for employment in Saudi Arabia has been set between 25 and 50 years under a new employment agreement finalised by the two countries, media reported.

“Our agreement with India sets the age of the domestic workers coming to the Kingdom [Saudi Arabia] at between 25 and 50 years. If an Indian maid aged 25 agrees to come to Saudi Arabia, the Indian government will not prevent her,” media reported citing Ahmad Al Faheed, Saudi labour ministry undersecretary for international affairs as saying on Sunday.
Al Faheed said that the maids would be subjected to a crash course in their respective states in India before being sent to Saudi Arabia.Such training will be provided by labour agencies in India, he said.

Moreover, Saudi labour agencies are planning to set up offices in India to supervise procedures for the recruitment of maids in Saudi Arabia, including visa, travel, training and other issues, the report said.
Earlier this month, the Saudi-Indian joint committee on labour issues finalised the recruitment contract of domestic workers that consists of several provisions to ensure the authenticity and implementation of the standard employment contract, the recruitment cost, action against recruitment agencies violating laws and a mechanism to prevent cheating by middlemen.

The new recruitment contract is aimed at easing a shortage of domestic workers in the world’s largest oil-exporting country.

The standard employment contract provides minimum wages, working hours, paid holidays and a dispute settlement mechanism.

However, the joint agreement also sets forth specific conditions for incoming domestic workers.

“They should be of good conduct, should not have legal or criminal cases. They should pass a medical check-up, and abide by the laws and traditions during the period of work in the kingdom,” the report said.

UAE e-labour cards from today, Employers can apply electronic labour cards and contracts through Tas’heel

The Ministry of Labour has announced that it will stop use of old plastic labour cards and paper contracts starting from today and will bring in new electronic work permits and contracts in lieu of the old ones.

It will replace the traditional plastic cards and paper contracts to implement the decision issued by the Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, the ministry said in a release.
The move came as a step towards e-transformation in their provided services, which is part of commitment towards the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to provide high-quality services to customers, meet their desires and achieve their satisfaction.
The ministry stated that the employers can apply for electronic labour cards and contracts through Tas’heel service centres across the UAE or within their companies only if they were registered under Tas’heel.

Moreover they should apply for these electronic services within 60 days from the workers entry to the UAE, where the ministry will grant the applicant a preliminary approval after meeting the conditions and then issue their permits electronically, their data will be sent to General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs to complete their residency procedures.

The Labour Ministry has urged all companies to apply for electronic employment contracts during the prescribed period of 60 days, in order to avoid a fine of Dh1000 for each month of delay.

The ministry said that it will stop issuing any new work permits to uncommitted companies until they apply for the new electronic Labour cards and employment contracts if they’re required to, or provide rational justifications for not issuing them on time.
Employers and workers can check their work permit and contract through ‘e-netwasal’ service, which is available within the ministry’s webpage (www.mol.gov.ae) after signing up for free, employees can benefit from the services, as well as employers through checking several reports about their companies.

Emirates Identity cards will be recognised as the official identification documents, especially by the inspectors of the ministry, as the ID card will not be issued to workers who do not have work permits by the Ministry of Labour. Employers must handout ID cards to their owners to be ready when questioned by Labour ministry inspectors, it concluded. Wam
 

New contract for housemaid, domestic helpers from june 1st 2014 in UAE

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has amended the domestic helpers’ contract form, which will be effective today.

The Naturalization, Residency and Ports Sector at the MoI finished preparing the new and amended domestic helpers contract form after four years of implementation.

Major-General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs, said, “The new contract shall enter into force once ratified as of June 1, 2014, without the need for any procedures or ratifications by other authorities. It will be available for all via the electronic services system (E-service).”

“The new contract takes into account the different changes and aims to regulate relations between domestic workers and their employers. It is also the only reference adopted in determining the obligations of both parties to the contract, based on the provisions of the law,” said Maj-Gen Al Khaili.

Ratifying the new contract form falls within the jurisdiction of the Residency and Foreigners Affairs Departments, he added.

Maj-Gen Al Khaili said the contract form was amended and updated following assessment of the contract’s implementation phase during the past period.

He stressed that the updated version of the contract represents one of the many measures that the Ministry of Interior is reviewing, with a view to addressing the issues witnessed during the past period of implementation regarding domestic helpers. “This regulatory action fulfills the Ministry of Interior’s strategic goals and vision 2014-2016,” said Maj-Gen Al Khaili

Polio vaccination mandatory for Pakistanis flying abroad from June 1

Pakistan’s health ministry has made it mandatory to have polio vaccination certificate from June 1, 2014, for those Pakistanis flying out to the UAE and other countries around the world.

The authority has sent out a circular whereby all the airports across the country will be equipped with special counters for polio vaccination for people of all ages and fields.

The World Health Organisation earlier this month issued an alert for nationals of Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon to have polio vaccination certificates prior to flying abroad in order to control the disease from spreading to other countries.

WHO said residents and long-term visitors going departing from Pakistan and Syria to receive a dose of OPV or IPV 4 weeks to 12 months prior to international travel; while those undertaking urgent travel (within 4 weeks) should be encouraged to receive a dose at least by the time of departure.

The global body said these measure are temporary but will remain in place 6 months after no new polio cases has been detected; but the travel restriction could extend to 12 months if no documentation of eradication measures have been taken.

In Pakistan, the government will set up special counters for polio vaccination at the federal and provincial hospitals across the country for people flying overseas. The federal government will supply polio vaccination certificates to the provincial governments and they’ll distribute in the hospitals.

Vaccination is mandatory for people of all ages even for the pregnant women, according to the statement issued by the country’s health authorities. It said there shouldn’t be any concern about taking oral polio vaccination for pregnant women as it’s not harmful during pregnancy.

All members of the National Assembly have been asked to monitor and ensure proper administration of the polio vaccination in their constituencies.

Pakistan’s Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarrar affirmed that the government will ensure elimination of polio from the country and urged all parties and community members to come forward and help in this national cause.

Some of the ministers have demanded penalties for those parents who don’t follow the instruction to administer polio vaccination.

The extension of ban for employment visas to expatriates came into effect from May 4, 2014 in Oman

MUSCAT — The Royal Oman Police (ROP), in coordination with other authorities concerned, has decided not to issue employment visas for expatriates, who have previously worked in the Sultanate and not completed two years from the date of last departure after leaving a company.
Announcing this, the ROP said this is in accordance with the requirements of the expatriates Residency Law and will be implemented from July 1, 2014.
Last month, the Ministry of Manpower extended by another six months a ban on employing expatriate construction workers and housekeeping staff in the private sector.
The extension of the ban came into effect from May 4, 2014, continuing a six-month ban which was due to expire on May 1.
The ban has been extended after reviewing the needs of the expat labour market and the decision is based on recommendations from the Committee of Sectoral and Contractors Association, which appealed to the ministries concerned to regulate the labour market.
The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are exempted from the ban. This has been done in agreement between the ministry and the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises.
It is worth mentioning that recently Oman has decided to limit the proportion of expatriates working in the private sector from 39 per cent to 33 per cent and has outlined steps to increase the percentage of national manpower in the private sector and to rationalise the recruitment of expatriates apart from affirming its commitment to limit the level of expatriates working in the private sector.
The labour market regularisation comes in response to the demographic changes witnessed by the Sultanate’s job market.
The recent NCSI data reveals that the expatriate population rose 0.28 per cent to touch 1.7659 million by the end of February 2014, as against 1.7614 million during the previous month.
This constitutes 44.2 per cent of the country’s total population of 3.9919 million, of which 2.2260 million people or 55.8 per cent are nationals, according to the data.
Of the total 1.7659 million expatriates, 1.5345 million are employees working in various sectors and the remaining 232,000 people are their family members.
The growth of foreign workers is mainly driven by the construction sector, especially infrastructure projects.
For the expatriate population, the number of males is higher than females, with 1,448,816 males versus 318,580 females. The Governorate of Muscat recorded the highest percentage of expatriates which stood at 62 per cent of the total population of the governorate by the end of March 2014, while Omanis comprised 38 per cent of the residents. In Al Dakhiliyah the ratio of Omanis is 77 per cent compared to 23 per cent expatriates.