The UAE is creating an exclusive online portal
for the recruitment of Indian workers under a memorandum of understanding [MoU]
signed between the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
visit early this week, a senior official told.
Dr Omar Al NuaimiIndian workers seeking jobs in
the UAE will be able to submit their job applications and review terms and
conditions of the job contract on this portal from India, said Dr Omar Al
Nuaimi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of
Human Resources and Emiratisation, and assistant for International Relations
and Communications.
This UAE system will be linked with India’s
similar online system, eMigrate (an online system controlling emigration of
blue-collar workers, qualified nurses and sailors), the official said.
Dr Al Nuaimi said: “The MoU with India has
ushered in a new chapter of cooperation. This will ensure a balanced and
effective management of the (workers’) contractual work cycle in accordance
with the laws and regulations, which are enforced in both countries, serving
the common interest.”
He pointed out that a joint committee will be
formed to ensure the proper implementation of the MoU.
The Ministry of Human Resources and
Emiratisation will provide the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with details
of the available jobs in the UAE and their contractual terms and conditions.
After the joint-technical committee completes
the required technical measures for linking both systems, a specific procedure
will be created. A model job offer and job contract will guide the workers to
review the descriptions of jobs available on the system, the official said.
Navdeep Singh Suri, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News that the integration
of both nations’ systems is expected to be done in the next three to four
months.
“The MoU provides a much better framework for
ensuring that Indian workers are recruited in accordance with principles of
transparency, ethics and fairness. It endeavours to standardise contracts in a
format that is in consonance with UAE laws so that workers can get due
protection in the event of a dispute,” he said.
A senior official at the Indian embassy told that
the MoU will pave the way for abolishing contract substitution, a major problem
faced by Indian workers. Unscrupulous agents in India give workers contracts
with exaggerated salary and perks, but when they reach the UAE, a substituted
contract takes the place of the earlier contract. As the substituted contract
is legally valid, workers cannot redress their grievances.
When the systems of both countries are
integrated, workers will get a uniform job contract, without leaving any room
for contract substitution.
In 2015, India introduced eMigrate, an
electronic system that controls emigration of ECR (Emigration Clearance
Required) category passport holders. India issues ECR category passports to
those who have not passed Grade 10 and hence they need emigration clearance
before going to work in 18 ECR countries that include the Gulf nations.
Recently, India brought sailors’ recruitment
also under the purview of eMigrate, following complaints about sailors being
mistreated and abandoned abroad.
eMigrate was made applicable to qualified
Indian nurses also when India banned their recruitment by private agents for
overseas jobs since April 30, 2015.
A Government of India order on August 2, 2016,
further extended the ban to all female workers including domestic workers and
authorised seven official agencies for the recruitment of all female workers
including nurses. None of the 1,200 registered private recruitment agents in
India is authorised to recruit nurses and
female workers under ECR category.
The embassy official said a protocol on
domestic workers was also signed between both nations as an annexure to the
MoU. This was needed as rules and regulations of domestic workers are slightly
different from other workers, he said.
How does it work
- The
UAE will create an exclusive portal
- The
UAE portal will be linked with India’s eMigrate
- Once
both systems are integrated, Indian workers seeking jobs in the UAE can submit
their job applications and review the terms and conditions of the job contract
on the portal from India
- The
integration of both systems will abolish contract substitution The integration
is expected to be done within a few months
