Dubai sponsors who report absconding household helpers to authorities are entitled to receive an incentive – an AED 10,000 refund if their former employee is illegally working somewhere else.
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The Dubai Prosecution pointed out that the initiative aims to help combat illegal working practices in the emirate.
Report Absconding Cases and Get AED 10,000 Refund if Worker is Caught
The said initiative was highlighted during the launch of the Compensate Me campaign at an online workshop organized by the Dubai Prosecution and the emirate’s Community Development Authority, the National reported.
According to officials who attended the online workshop, the move would allow sponsors to regain some of the costs of hiring maids and other domestic workers who leave their positions without notice.
In line with this, residents were also warned that they could face heavy fines for failing to report such incidents.
Faisal Ahli, a senior prosecutor from the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency prosecution said that many sponsors are not aware that they can get some of their money back if they report absconding workers.
He also explained that for the refund to apply, authorities must be notified within 10 days of the absconding incident.
“If they file a report within 10 days from the time the worker has absconded, and the worker was caught illegally employed by a different sponsor, they can get an AED 10,000 refund,” Mr. Ahli explained.
Sponsors can file their reports with the Naturalisation and Residency department or by calling 800 5111.
Furthermore, Mr. Ahli pointed out that the refund will be taken from an AED 500,000 fee imposed on those discovered to have hired the absconding maid.
He also noted that the sponsor who fails to report the absconding case could end up paying an AED 50,000 fine.
“Sponsors who reported their absconding workers were surprised to receive a call from us asking them to come to collect an AED 10,000 refund from prosecution,” the senior prosecutor said.
Mr. Ahli then urged all sponsors not to rely on recruitment agencies when it comes to reporting absconding workers.
He also emphasized that sponsors should not only report the incident to authorities but also cancel the employee’s visa immediately.
As per labor practice, should the domestic worker return to the recruitment agency and join a different employer, the initial sponsor needs to follow up and ensure the worker’s visa status has been changed.
Those who fail to comply with this will be subject to an AED 50,000 fine.
In line with this, the senior prosecutor shared a case of an Emirati whose two workers left to take up roles with a different employer but failed to change their visa status.
“He was fined AED 100,000 for not rectifying their status, a mistake that many make,” Mr. Ahli said.
In a separate incident, he said, two families were each fined AED 50,000 for hiring the same housemaid.
The first family had retracted their worker’s contract and returned the maid to the recruitment agency, which had sent the employee to work in another household.
Neither of the two families ensured that the employee’s visa status was changed, which led to both families being fined AED 50,000 each.
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