UAE Announces Three Packages for Hiring Domestic Workers

(WAM) The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation in the UAE has warned employers and national and resident families of the risks of dealing with unlicensed domestic labour recruitment agencies

Traditional package

Recruitment offices offer three packages starting with the "traditional package," in which the worker is registered on the employer's records and resides with him during the two year contract period and its duration, which is the period during which the office guarantees the domestic worker, so this package allows the employer to replace the worker or recover the costs of recruitment in the event of any of the following four cases during the first six months of the contract, which is the probationary period. These cases include: the worker’s termination of the contract without a legitimate reason; leaving him to work without an acceptable reason; the level of fitness of a health worker; his inability to carry out his work tasks in the required and agreed manner.

Part of the recruitment costs shall be refunded in the event of two cases occurring during the post-trial period until the expiry date of the two-year contract, as both cases include the worker’s termination of the contract after the probationary period without a legitimate reason, or his leaving the work after the probationary period without an acceptable reason. These refunded amounts are based upon the remaining period of the contract in months from the total cost of recruitment.

Temporary package

The recruitment offices of domestic workers also offer a "temporary package" where a trained and qualified assistant worker is provided within 24 hours, and this worker is registered with the office for a contractual period of two years, during which the worker is not allowed to move, being a resident assistant worker with the employer.

Flexible package

The offices also offer the flexible package, which provides an assistant worker registered with the recruitment office to work in a flexible system (hours - days - week - month), and the cost of recruitment is based upon the type of employment.

This package has a set of benefits, including the provision of qualified and trained domestic workers, the number of replacement times is not specified, and the period of providing the worker is within a maximum of 24 hours.

The ministry has called upon employers to take advantage of the benefits of paying the wages of domestic workers through the Wage Protection System, as the system allows them to pay wages on time, in the easiest way and in a manner that preserves their right to prove the payment process.

The Wage Protection System, which is optional, allows employers to pay wages through the system, whether through cash transfers to banks and money exchanges that provide the service, registered and approved with the UAE Central Bank, or through the smart applications of these agencies, after contracting with them, in accordance with the procedures followed.

The system includes all domestic labour categories, which include the employee, sailor, housekeeper, cook, guard, private driver, shepherd, groomer, falconer, worker, housekeeper, farmer, gardener, private trainer, private teacher, private nurse, special representative and private agricultural engineer.