- Introduction of quota for non-Arab Labour
- Implementation of Federal Law for property ownership
- Changes in regulations and fees for family and domestic help sponsorship
The Federal National Council (FNC) has recommended country-wise quota for non-Arab Labour, with proportional regional allocations so as to ensure cultural diversity on the national level instead of attaining it on corporate level, according the official news agency WAM.
The FNC also approved other recommendations pertaining to the foreign labour after lengthy discussions on the issue as well as on the impact of the new regulations of the Labour Ministry.
The recommendations included formulation of a strategic demographic plan aimed at gradually increasing the numbers of national workers and stepping up the use of modern technology in all economic, commercial industrial sectors, with particular focus on the sectors of building and construction so as to reduce the dependence on the foreign labour.
The ad-hoc committee set up by the FNC gave the final touches to its recommendations after it concluded on Monday the discussions on the issue. The recommendations will be submitted to the cabinet soon.
The committee also called on all the concerned parties to take stock of the experience of developing national human resources and re-approach it by way of inculcating the concept among all the various federal governmental institutions.
This process should be carried out with an aim of seriously recouping all efforts to achieve the goal, not only in the public sector but in the private sector too in accordance with the new vision for our national economy and its needs, the FNC said.
The Recommendations also called to continue a complete revision of the contents, objectives and priorities of the economic and social development by way of protecting the national interests. This should create job opportunities of high productivity to national cadre and attract foreign labour in a balanced way, the recommendations said.
A comprehensive development plan under the federal umbrella ensuring the country’s structure within safe boundaries, both in the future and the present, can only achieve this, said the recommendations.
They also called for a knowledge-based economy in the place of the labour intensive economy.
The labour market in the country is a single entity which can not be divided according to its various regions. The issuance of work permits should be managed with this fact in view. Though there are local authorities and free zones with the right of bringing in the work force, the ministry of the labour should be the authority to coordinate the entire process of employing foreign workers, the recommendations pointed out.
Making its recommendations on the property ownership, the FNC said that a federal law should be introduced without delay to regulate this sector.
The FNC also called on the government to revise the rules, laws and ministerial orders regulating the labour market and to rectify its negative effects by way of amending the ministerial order No. 4 (Year 1994) which pertain to sponsoring of families by expatriate workers.
In this regard the FNC said that the salary limit for an expatriate worker to sponsor his/her family should be raised from the current AED 4000 to AED 10000 for those who do not get accommodation, and AED 8000 for those who are provided accommodation by their employers.
In order to eliminate chances of producing bogus salary certificates, the FNC recommended that the expatriate employee should produce a six-month bank statement showing his salary.
The FNC also made a recommendation to raise the salary limit from AED 6000 to AED 15000 for a person to be eligible to sponsor a domestic help. The issuance of such a visa should be against an annual fee of AED 7000.
The FNC also recommended amending the Federal Labour Law of the country (Law No. 8 Year 1980) to ensure adequate work opportunities for the citizens in the labour market.
The other recommendations included stringent residency rules on those who have crossed the age of 65, improving of the labour inspection machinery, amendment of the ministerial rule pertaining to cultural diversity, classification of companies into three categories according to their productivity and economic activity, and concessions to sectors which are less labour-intensive.
