25-April-2012,United Arab Emirates is one of the preferred destinations for Indian workers going overseas for employment. However, many Indian workers also go for employment to other Gulf countries as well. Approximately 1.5 million Indian workers are estimated to be working in UAE. The UAE Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs have agreed to jointly deploy an electronic contract registration and validation system that ensures:
• Full transparency of the contract terms;
• Disclosure of such terms to the prospective worker and securing the worker’s informed consent to the same terms prior to being deployed to the UAE;
• Approval by the concerned Indian government agencies of the terms of the contract for the purpose of granting emigration clearance to the prospective worker, and
• Non-substitution of any of the agreed-to terms of employment in the final and official contract document to be signed by the worker and the employer after the former’s arrival in the UAE.
The protocol mandates the informed consent and approval of the worker, the employer and the competent Indian authorities, of the full terms of the work contract prior to the worker’s deployment to the UAE. The contract terms are, in turn, captured in the contract document that is eventually signed by the worker and employer in the UAE and duly registered with the Ministry of Labour. The new system is activated by an online application by a UAE employer for the granting of work permits that requires disclosure of the key terms of the employment offer. The UAE (Ministry of Labour) processes the application and provides access to the electronic record to Indian government- accredited recruitment agencies in India that are then required to obtain the worker’s attested consent. A duly designated Indian government agency also accesses the record for the purpose of reviewing the terms of the employment and granting an emigration clearance accordingly. This is followed by the registration of the electronic contract and the issuance of the work permit by the UAE Ministry of Labour.
This information was given by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affair, Shri Vayalar Ravi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
• Full transparency of the contract terms;
• Disclosure of such terms to the prospective worker and securing the worker’s informed consent to the same terms prior to being deployed to the UAE;
• Approval by the concerned Indian government agencies of the terms of the contract for the purpose of granting emigration clearance to the prospective worker, and
• Non-substitution of any of the agreed-to terms of employment in the final and official contract document to be signed by the worker and the employer after the former’s arrival in the UAE.
The protocol mandates the informed consent and approval of the worker, the employer and the competent Indian authorities, of the full terms of the work contract prior to the worker’s deployment to the UAE. The contract terms are, in turn, captured in the contract document that is eventually signed by the worker and employer in the UAE and duly registered with the Ministry of Labour. The new system is activated by an online application by a UAE employer for the granting of work permits that requires disclosure of the key terms of the employment offer. The UAE (Ministry of Labour) processes the application and provides access to the electronic record to Indian government- accredited recruitment agencies in India that are then required to obtain the worker’s attested consent. A duly designated Indian government agency also accesses the record for the purpose of reviewing the terms of the employment and granting an emigration clearance accordingly. This is followed by the registration of the electronic contract and the issuance of the work permit by the UAE Ministry of Labour.
This information was given by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affair, Shri Vayalar Ravi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
