UAE fines 40 domestic worker recruitment offices for breaching rules

Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation warns repeat offenders could lose operating licences

The government has pledged to take a zero-tolerance approach to rogue recruiters. Photo: Unsplash

The UAE government fined 40 domestic worker recruitment offices for breaching employment rules in the first half of the year in support of a national drive to strengthen regulation of the industry.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Monday said the companies had committed about 140 offences under domestic labour law, including failing to deliver refunds due to employers. The authority pledged to take a zero-tolerance approach to rogue recruiters, warning that repeat offenders would face severe penalties, including losing their operating licences.

The ministry said it would continue to monitor the practices of recruitment offices closely to ensure they abide by employment laws and to protect the rights of those hiring domestic workers, which include nannies maids, cooks and gardeners. It said the majority of recorded offences were due to a failure to refund all or part of recruitment fees owed to employers within a statutory two-week period.

Under the ministry's regulations, employers are entitled to refunds in the following circumstances:

• A worker terminates their contract or abandons their job without a valid reason
• The worker is deemed incompetent or unsuitable for the role during their probation period
• The employer ends the contract due to the recruitment office's failure to meet agreed conditions
• The employee is found to be medically unfit during their probation period

Other infringements included a failure to display ministry-approved service package prices clearly to clients.

The ministry urged customers to report any unauthorised practices by recruitment offices by calling its Labour Claims and Advisory Call Centre on 80084. It reiterated that customers should ensure they deal only with licensed domestic worker recruitment offices in the Emirates, a full list of which is listed on the ministry's website.

The clampdown on rule-breaking recruiters was announced only days after authorities said 77 unauthorised social media accounts had been shut down for carrying out domestic worker recruitment services illegally in the first six months of the year.

The labour ministry had joined forces with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority to take action against the accounts, which were found to be operating without a licence from authorities. The ministry said employers − as well as Emirati and resident families − should only use licensed and approved recruitment agencies when looking to hire domestic staff.

In 2022, A domestic labour law boosting workers' rights and clamping down on rogue recruiters and employers came into effect. The updated legislation is the latest step by the government to strengthen regulations safeguarding thousands of employees − including maids, nannies, cooks and gardeners − across the Emirates.

The new directives expand the number of offences, which are punishable by fines and/or prison terms, for breaches of working conditions and rules from four to eight. Punishments include fines of between Dh20,000 ($5,450) and Dh100,000 and up to six months in prison for anyone who provides false information or fake documents to employ domestic helpers.