According to the reports given by the labour inspection teams, which had launched a crackdown on illegal workers in the emirate after the amnesty period, 70 per cent of the employers found flouting the labour laws were doing so because they misunderstood the laws, he told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
“Many employers thought that anyone with a valid residence visa could be employed as long as the worker has obtained a no-objection certificate from the original sponsor. This is a misinterpretation of the labour laws.
“A person with a valid residence visa is allowed to work for a different company only after the new firm gets a work permit from the Ministry of Labour for the worker,” said Al Nuaimi.
He said many companies were found employing people sponsored by their relatives and who had not got labour cards from the ministry.
“A majority of employers penalised for this type of violation came to our office claiming that they had not flouted any labour law since their employees had valid residence visas,” he added.
According to Al Nuaimi, these employers thought employing persons on visit visas, those whose visas had expired and those who had absconded from their sponsors were the only violations. In fact, very few cases of employing such workers were detected during the crackdown.
The official said that all employers must register their employees with the Ministry of Labour and obtain work permits. “The misinterpretation of laws by them would not save them from the penalties if they are found flouting the rules,” he noted.
He urged all employers in the emirate to cooperate with the Labour Office and approach the office for any clarification on the labour laws, especially the MoL formalities the employers must complete.
