ABU DHABI // A US government report has criticised four of its diplomatic missions in the Gulf over the treatment of low-wage employees working for local contractors at embassies and consulates.
In a report unclassified on Monday, the US state department specifically assessed the extent of trafficking risk faced by unskilled and semi-skilled workers in the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The report notes that contractors who supply manpower for the US missions' blue-collar jobs disregard the basic rights of their workers, including through: delaying salary payments; "overcrowding, and unsafe or unsanitary conditions" in worker accommodations; debt incurred through the payment of recruiting fees; a lack of understanding of contracts; and confiscation of passports.
Interviews with 75 workers - such as gardeners, local guard staff and cleaners - from countries including India, Nepal, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were conducted at six missions, including those in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The US embassy in Abu Dhabi declined to comment, other than to say it had received no specific instructions from Washington regarding the report.
The report is part of regular audits conducted by the US office of the inspector general to promote "effective management, accountability and positive change" in the department.
Some of the key findings of the report noted that "although workers were not bonded to employers forcibly, 77 per cent of contractor employees interviewed reported paying recruiting fees to obtain their jobs, a possible indicator of coercive recruitment".
Although confiscation of passports is illegal in all four countries, contractors cited various security-related reasons for holding onto them.
A majority of workers interviewed said they were not properly informed as to why their passports were being retained.
This and the requirement of recruitment fees, the report notes, indicate coercion and can lead to "debt bondage". That puts the workers at a disadvantage, makes them vulnerable to law enforcement agencies and restricts travel, the report said.
While the report stated that living conditions were found to be poor and overcrowded, and some "fell within the space parameters of a US minimum-security prison cell", labourers in Abu Dhabi were moved in September to custom-built areas and cities designated for workers' housing, built to the latest health and security standards.
Residential areas are equipped to accommodate about 30,000 workers, according to Abu Dhabi Municipality.
The report suggests that the missions provide workers with contract documents in their native language, not just English and Arabic, which a majority of the workers are unable to read.
US embassies are also urged to obtain information about local labour law practices in the four countries, and to monitor all service contracts to ensure they comply with the host country's laws, requesting proof of compliance from contractors.
The report also notes that the missions should consider changes being made to labour laws and regularly update workers on the changes.
In the UAE this year, the Ministry of Labour introduced a set of new regulations to govern labourers and protect their rights.
Harsher punishments for labour law violators, including a black points system, have been in place for the past three years. In September 2009, the Wages Protection System (WPS) was put in place to electronically transfer salaries into the bank accounts of workers, to ensure that the funds are paid on time and in full. The system also allows the Ministry of Labour to monitor delays in salary payments.
From this year onwards, any company that does not have every employee registered in WPS will face black points and a fine of Dh10,000, plus restrictions on hiring.
The Ministry of Labour has also introduced new regulations to govern recruitment companies, with the aim of avoiding exploitation and illegal practices previously common.
The Minister of Labour, Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, said last month that labour-supplying countries needed to strengthen their laws concerning recruitment firms to allow for better collaboration in protecting workers' rights.
In cases of non-payment, the Ministry of Labour now has the right to liquidate a recruitment company's bank guarantee of Dh1 million and the Dh2,000 deposit for each worker.
Officials from the Ministry have stressed that the confiscation of employees passports is illegal and such cases would be referred to the Ministry of Interior and to court.
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Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
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Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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