Update: 19 December 2010 - Today, the government announced that starting 2011, employees no longer need a No Objection Letter to change jobs. It seems that they read my blog post!
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Every Tuesday night I go to a proper Arabic barbershop where I get a clean shave and a clean haircut, a protocol that I maintained for 12 years because I don’t shave at home. When you see a barber repeatedly he opens up to you and starts telling you stories, many of them are sad.
Sayed, my latest barber, has a lot of interesting stories to tell and few of them are about his rude, unfair and disgusting sponsor.
3 months ago, Sayed came all the way from Egypt to Dubai with a dream. His dream is to save 10,000 dirhams (2,732 dollars) and go back to Egypt to open up his own small shop. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out to be as glamorous as he thought.
Since Sayed got to Dubai 3 months ago, he didn’t get paid. Sayed is married, and has a beautiful daughter in Egypt and he needs to send them money, but his boss didn’t pay him for the first 3 months because his boss had to pay 5 or 6 K for the government to issue him a work permit. According to UAE law, the Employer is supposed to cover all the costs of visas, work permits, labor cards etc. But some small companies and shops deduct that from their employees’ salaries illegally. Most employees are very new to UAE and don’t know the laws. Even if they do know, they ado not have the heart to file complaints.
first of all, Sayed didn’t have a day off in 3 months. What would he tell his boss if he wants to leave the shop? The boss knows that Sayed doesn’t have money, doesn’t have friends, and has no where else to go. So leaving the shop to file the complaint is kinna impossible.
Second, even if Sayed succeeds to file the complaint, what would happen? he will definitely get his money, but his boss still has the right to fire him and he will definitely do that.
Third, Sayed can’t even resign his job. If he does resign his job and find a better one he will not be able to get a new work permit because he will need a “No Objection Letter” from his sponsor. If he doesn’t get it, not only he won’t get a job, but he will be banned to work in UAE for 6 months!
It’s crazy. Few weeks ago Sayed was eating in the shop, there were no customers, his sponsor popped up and saw him and deducted 5 days from his salary. So if Sayed gets paid next month, it will be only for 3 weeks.
It’s a dilemma. Sayed is living on tips and they are not much. The shop is new, and hasn’t gathered momentum yet. He gets a maximum of 2 customers a day because there are 3 other barbers in the same shop and the shop is only receiving 8 customers a day. Oh, and his sponsor promised him a monthly salary of 2000 dirhams, but just told him it will be 1500 (547 dollars) because business is bad.
I saw his sponsor the other day and wanted to have a word with him, but I stopped my self because I don’t want to get Sayed deported. What to do? I really have no fucking clue.
12 comments:
talk to the sponsor. Not because you have to, but because it could end up changing this man's life.
Surely there must be a way to talk to the sponsor without getting the guy deported. You do know some higher ups if i'm not mistaken. If there ever was a time to call in a favor, this would be it.
I know you, I will give you money when I see you to give this guy.
With all due respect, someone needs to think from the employers angle too...if business is too bad then he wont be able to afford the regular salaries...
Best scenario would be to help Sayed find a better job with stable pay so that he can save enough and get back to him country.
This is when someone should be talking to his employer to get a NOC or a 'release' as they would call it here.
By the way...ALL taxi drivers in the UAE work 7 days a week with no holidays except for the binannual (once in 2 years) leave
Jassim (Bladewidth) there is no employer's angle in here. first of all, the shop just opened as I clearly mentioned in the blog. No smart person opens a shop, hires people, and not pay them cuz business is bad. Before starting a business, people must estimate a certain budget that will sustain the business until it picks up. this is business 101. If you are gonna hire people, and not pay them, then at the beginning, this should be clarified.
My second point is, not paying the first 3 months wasn't because business is bad, it was because he wants to deduct the visa charges from Sayed. this is ILLEGAL. ALL charges relevant to the work permit should be covered by the employer. It's the law.
My 3rd point, decreasing the salary. he can't just decrease the salary randomly, it's also against the law. If he wants to do that, a new contract should be issued and signed. in such situation, the employee has the right to accept or not accept. He also wouldn't need the NOC letter.
Now regarding the taxi drivers, the drivers have a choice. they can take a day off, or, work it and get paid for it. Many choose to work that day. In Sayed's case, he didn't have a choice.
The ministry is VERY strict about forcing employees into working 7 days a week.
the fact that we are even justifying why this is inhumane is simply absurd ya zaher..
The weird thing is that I am not appauled by this, and that is just telling on the stories we grew accustomed to. It has become almost normal for us to accept injustice.
Sponsorship is a fancy name for modern-day slavery.. You have a master, and he/she owns you..That's what it really is.
This is very sad, I wish i was there to help, but please let me know what we can, maybe collect money from people ( whatever amounts we can get our hands on) and help him..
Allah yesa3da, and may god also have mercy on all of us. Who knows who's next..
Go to the Ministry of Labor yourself and talk to someone there about this. Mention that you also don't want Sayed to get in trouble, but you have his best interest in mind and that what the boss is doing is illegal and that Sayed is too scared and "busy" to do anything about it. Perhaps you'll get a listening ear there. If the Ministry of Labor gets into this and performs an inspection, they will force the boss to pay all due wages and as per the contract signed. They will also either make sure Sayed and the other stay in their jobs or give them NOC from their side. After all the NOC is for the Ministry of Labor itself.
I've been to that place, they even have cameras installed there to continuously monitor the employees. Which probably explains the timely entrance when Sayed was eating!
thats so bad situation.... and we hear it a lot from labors . plus the 12 hours working ...
its really confusing situation to someone hear it... sometimes keeping things as it is better than make it worse... and nothing keeps the same.
its good if we can help personally by give more tips ..
After reading that my initial idea was to beat the living @$#@ out of the employer, but then my senses came back and I think someone should anonymously report the situation to the ministry and have the authorities handle this.
Some of the comments tried to justify the actions of the sponsor and that is disgusting... you can't justify such unethical behaviour.
I hope the highest levels of punishment are taken against this sponsor and an example made of him. Also, I hope Sayed's full remuneration is receieved.
Well, it IS a dilemma!
One has to weigh both aspects (employer vs. employee)
May be a word with the employer is a good idea.
H.
I totally agree with, Haitham.
You and your friends get together and give the guy some money. Solved. But, honestly, in UAE you have to have "wasta," if you don't, your not gonna get anywhere. :( sad, but true. :/
What a sad story :(
Allah yi3een.
Get the press involved in the issue. Get it out in the public.
Once the press is on it, things will come to light on their own and the guy won't have to move an inch from the place he works at.
And if I were you, I'd try to raise money for him I mean people donate money all the time and this guy clearly deserves every fils of it.
People will be moved by his story and I'm almost certain that the press would run his story. It doesn't have to have names or initials but it can be call to action to help raise money or something.
We don't want him getting into more troubles if his name's in the newspaper and his sponsor is less than kind.
Thanks for sharing the story,
N.
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