Ethiopia has decided that no citizens should go to the UAE for
until agreement can be reached to protect their rights. The Ethiopian
Consul-General in Dubai, Mesganu Arga Moach, said the freeze was a temporary
move aimed at rooting out unscrupulous recruiters and putting an end to abuses.
He said the freeze had been imposed because of the number of recruitment agencies
working illegally.
Ethiopia wanted “an agreement with the UAE that ensures our
nationals' rights.” The Consul-General said his office received “five to ten complaints a day from our citizens of abuse, unpaid
salaries and people being beaten." Under Ethiopian law sponsors are
required to provide medical insurance
and undertake to pay a minimum monthly wage of Dh660. All contracts have to be
sent to the Labour ministry in Addis Ababa, which provides workers with an ID
card to work overseas. Mr.
Mesganu said "We have excellent relations with the UAE Government but the
problem is with the agencies. They do not cooperate with the consulate. So we
want to put in proper controls on the Ethiopian side." Mr. Mesganu said
the Government of Ethiopia would consider increasing
the minimum wage and adding a
clause for compulsory annual tickets home.
A number of agencies in Ethiopia have been suspended and some have already been
banned.
The UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, Dr Yousif Eisa Hassan Alsabri,
welcomed the ban as a move designed to “to regulate and safeguard people. It is
good for the UAE and for Ethiopia.” He said his Embassy was also studying the
matter and would send a report to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who
would decide what action to take. An estimated 100,000 Ethiopians live in the
UAE but only one agency is
known to be legally recruiting Ethiopian workers. The UAE Ambassador urged
existing sponsors and companies to authenticate Ethiopian employee contracts at
the Dubai consulate, the only Ethiopian mission in the UAE. –(MFA)
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