SHARJAH, 8 February 2005 — The immigration authorities are studying the possibility of nullifying an automatic six-month ban against foreign workers from obtaining new visas after canceling their present visas, official sources say.
Separately the labor authorities have issued a warning to employers against exploiting employees by not fulfilling contractual obligations, failing to settle their dues in time, extorting money from them in different guises and also blackmailing them.
These moves are the latest measures adopted by the new government, which took office in November, and which has set as a priority the streamlining of the labor market and expatriate affairs in the country. The sources said the discussions on lifting the six-month ban — which would be a boon to expatriate workers who are struck with employers in unhappy working conditions — were being held at the General Directorate of Residence and Naturalization.
Also being discussed is campaign focusing on illegal workers who entered the country on visit visas and took up employment without Labor Ministry’s approval and also those who have fled from their sponsors/employers and took up other jobs.
According to officials, the weeklong campaign will be launched on Feb.19 and would deal with the impact of the presence of illegal workers on the overall security of the country and the labor market. The discussions on lifting the six-month obligatory ban are focusing on the positive and negative effect of the move on the country’s labor market, said the officials.
When introduced after approval at the Cabinet level, the lifting on the ban would mean that immigration authorities would not put a seal on the concerned worker’s passport when the employment visa is cancelled by either side. Under present rules, foreign workers are given an automatic ban for six months against securing a new job when their residence visa is canceled. Exempt from the ban are certain categories such as doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, heavy vehicle drivers, bus drivers and computer technicians. Sponsorship transfer is permitted if the current sponsor issues a no-objection letter and provided that the concerned employee has completed one year with the original sponsor and possesses a valid visa and work permit. On a related front, the labor authorities here have warned private companies of tough action against extortion of money from laborers and blackmail. “Extortion is a flagrant violation of labor laws and regulations,’ said a Labor Ministry source quoted in the local press.
“Strict measures will be taken against companies that force employees to illegally pay expenses of visa and sign documents to deprive them of their legal entitlements,” said the source. Punitive action against violators would include warnings followed by blacklisting. If blacklisted, the concerned company would not be able to conduct any official transaction with the government. Complaints are frequent from foreign workers that their employers force them to sign receipts for inflated amounts or even non-existent payments and levy from them extra charges for food, water and electricity whereas their contracts stipulate that the employers would pay these costs.