The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Wednesday announced a domestic worker recruitment office in Ajman has been shut down.
The decision came after customer complaints but the ministry did not specify the offences committed by the Oud Al Reem office.
“The relevant local authorities have been notified of the licence revocation order to complete the necessary procedures,” the ministry said.
“The office owners should settle the status of domestic workers under their sponsorship and settle all fines resulting from the violations. The office violated the rules outlined in the domestic workers law."
Zero tolerance
The ministry issued 107 fines for 37 offices in the first half of this year. The authorities have pledged a zero-tolerance approach to rogue recruiters, warning repeat offenders face severe penalties, including losing their operating licences.
The ministry said it would continue monitoring the practices of recruitment offices to ensure they abide by employment laws and protect the rights of those hiring domestic workers, such as nannies, maids, cooks and gardeners.
The ministry urged people to report any breach by calling 600590000.
People willing to recruit domestic workers were told to deal with accredited and licensed offices listed on the ministry’s website.
“This is crucial to avoid legal accountability from dealing with unlicensed offices and employing violators,” the ministry added. “Beside legal accountability, there are potential health and security risks from using unlicensed domestic workers.”
What is the law?
In 2022, a domestic labour law boosting workers' rights and clamping down on rogue recruiters and employers came into effect. The updated legislation strengthened regulations safeguarding thousands of employees across the Emirates.
The directives expanded the number of offences, which are punishable by fines and/or prison for breaches of working conditions and rules. Punishment includes fines of between Dh20,000 and Dh100,000 (($5,450 and $27,230) and up to six months in prison for anyone who provides false information or fake documents to employ domestic helpers.
People who hire unlicensed workers, recruit staff but do not provide a job, or use permits for domestic workers for purposes other than those for which they were issued, will be fined a minimum of Dh50,000 and a maximum of Dh200,000.
The same penalty applies to those who close recruitment agency operations without settling wages owed to domestic workers.
Fines of between Dh200,000 and Dh1 million and prison for up to one year can be imposed for attempting to employ a worker – on a full-time or temporary basis – without a permit and misusing login credentials for the ministry's online portal.
