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UAE suspends working visas to Ethiopian workers

August 1, 2012 · 328965 Comments2012-08-01+11%3A29%3A40Frazer+Michael

Mesganu Arga Moach, the Ethiopian consul general, announced a ban on all recruitment of domestic and blue-collar labour from Ethiopia to the UAE last week. (Photo: Sarah Dea / The National)

DUBAI — The UAE Government has begun drafting a labour agreement aimed at protecting the rights of Ethiopian domestic and blue-collar workers, and will soon temporarily stop issuing work visas for them until the agreement has been finalised, according to a UAE foreign ministry source.

The move comes after Ethiopia earlier this week officially requested a labour agreement between the two countries to prevent the exploitation of its nationals by unscrupulous recruitment agents and sponsors.

Last week, Ethiopia announced it was banning its citizens from applying to work as domestic help or migrant workers in the UAE until the two countries had come to an agreement on the issue. The consulate in Dubai said the temporary freeze was to weed out illegal agents in Ethiopia and the UAE, as well as abusive employers.

“We are in the process of making a labour agreement,” said the highly placed source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa). “We will see what are [Ethiopia's] different agreement terms with Kuwait, Jordan and other countries. It will take a little time.”

He would not specify when the agreement would come into force.

The Mofa source said his ministry will soon direct the relevant government departments to deny Ethiopian migrant workers UAE work permits. The decision followed a meeting on Sunday between Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Mesganu Arga Moach, the Ethiopian consul general; and Dr Yousif Eisa Hassan Alsabri, the UAE ambassador to Ethiopia in Abu Dhabi.

“They will start to coordinate with the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Interior to stop processing visas. It is good for the cooperation between the two countries,” the Mofa source said.

Ethiopia has already began scrutinising contracts and visas of departing nationals at its airports in an attempt to prevent workers and agencies from circumventing its recent ban.

The Ethiopian consul general said he had held talks with UAE authorities.

“We have officially requested the UAE Government to ban domestic workers for Ethiopians. We have requested them not to process domestic worker visas until a government-to-government agreement is in place to sort out the problem. We have officially proposed to start the process of signing an agreement,” said Mr Moach, who today visited an Ethiopian housemaid, Azeb Abebe, 24, at Rashid Hospital.

Abebe, who is in critical condition, suffered burns to more than 80 per cent of her body in a gas explosion over two weeks ago while working at her sponsor’s house in Al Barsha.

The National

August 1, 2012

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By Frazer Michael

Tags: Ethiopia, Labour work, UAE, visa, Working conditions

ali says:

Any way ethiopians They better of working as a servant in middle east rather Than dying starvation in ethiopia.

7:12 am on August 1, 2012

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- Layla says:
  
  I beleive dying starvation is better than being abused and exploited servant . it is common some Arab countries mistreate their domestic workers, even though they will not be able to do the hard work these people are doing for themselves. Also they do not them human- being like them. what a shame !
  
  10:36 am on August 1, 2012
  
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  - omar says:
    
    layla.
    
    every body knows arabs are backward manipulators double faces and less human rights in Their countries.in The other hand life is very hard in ethiopia 80 million no jops no future for most people in ethiopia. did you know ethiopia has one of The hights orphanage in The world four million.so imagine how many people looking for work i mean any work Those who came to middle east Atleast could feed own family.
    
    12:10 am on August 2, 2012
    
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Layla says:

Sorry i mean ( Also they do not see them human-being like them).

10:38 am on August 1, 2012

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human says:

PROPER AGREEMENT COMES LIKE OTHER NATIONS LIKE SRI LANKA AND OTHER ASIAN PACIFIC COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS ETHIOPIAN WOKERS ALSO WILL HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS IT BALANCE THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE.

NO ONE IS ABUSED WHEN THE PROPER PAPERS COME TO THE TABLE, HOPE MR. MOACH WILL HAVE PREPARE SOON IN NEAR FUTURE TO PROTECT THEIR NATIONAL.

POVERTY IS EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD, IT IS INHUMAN TO INSULT A COUNTRY, AS SERVANTS ITS A JOB ONLY, WHICH THE EMPLOYER PAYES HER WAGES MONTHLY OR WHAT EVER IT IS SERVANT WILL NOT GIVE HER LIFE, JUST A CONTRACT ONLY.

WE ARE SERVANT ONLY GOD NOT FOR HUMAN .

USE GOOD TERMINALOGY

6:00 am on August 3, 2012

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