AL AIN // Some professional employees of UAE University have threatened to find new jobs after claiming that the housing they were promised in their contracts has not materialised or is substandard.
The university hired 100 new faculty and support staff in an institutional expansion. While many of the new staff have been assigned accommodation, others are still waiting to be housed and claim the flats they were offered are unacceptable.
One block of housing is being referred to by staff as "the compound" because of its unappealing appearance and location. They have been told they will be moved into the building once the electricity has been connected.
"It's miserable. The construction is shoddy and the apartment is tiny, the sink is four inches deep," said one new staff member, who wished to remain anonymous.
"I was given the impression before coming that there was a certain quality of housing. I'm now thinking of going back to where I originally come from."
Another employee added: "Some apartments have no windows, only light shafts. I wouldn't live there, myself."
Staff said it was the only university accommodation they were aware of that was available to them.
The university administration said they had more buildings but would not say whether apartments were available for rent.
The housing situation has prompted some disillusioned staff to consider leaving, even though they could face heavy penalties for breaking their contracts. "The compound," on a busy Al Ain roundabout, is a beige-and-brown-coloured building that stands alone in a sand pit littered with rubbish. A cause of great concern among staff - some of whom have children - is the nearby electricity pylon and cables above and the caged transformer in front of the building. They fear health risks.
The university administration has said there are plans to move the transformer underground and that the building complies with safety regulations.
"The building has been inspected by the government and the municipality," said Dr Fatima al Shamsi, secretary general of the university. "It wouldn't have been built there if it was a health hazard."
Staff also claim the university was not upfront about the housing situation before bringing in the new staff and faculty and if they had been, they would have reconsidered the job offers.
"We didn't know there was a shortage of housing. If I had known, I don't think I would have come," one said. "People who just got here are thinking about resigning."
Dr Abdullah al Khanbashi, vice chancellor of the university, conceded that the school had trouble housing staff, but said there were several reasons for it.
"It's a matter of not enough units on the market and at the same time, the demand, and then the units that we have scheduled to [let] will be finished in November or December." Dr Khanbashi said that some landlords who had signed contracts with the university nonetheless provided housing for other institutions. We have court cases with them now."
Dr Shamsi said that less than 20 of the 100 new staff are very upset. Housing priority was given to people with families over singles and childless couples, she said.
The university has assured employees that the new building should be ready in two weeks, and that those unhappy with the housing could find accommodation outside the university but would have to pay any rent above their annual housing allowances.
jhume@thenational.ae
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Details
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Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
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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The specs
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Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5