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Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Khaleej Times
No visas, Dh81,000 fines: How a Dubai expat helped 8 workers get their passports back
A UAE resident has become something of an unexpected hero for a group of undocumented workers after she took it upon herself to help them break away from an employer. British expat Jessica Madi often booked the domestic services of one of the workers, 36-year-old Noresil (full name withheld on request), on an hourly basis from a leading cleaning agency in the UAE. But when the Filipina arrived at Jessica's home on April 9, limping due to a foot injury, it sparked a series of events that have given Noresil and others hope in an otherwise difficult situation. "I asked if she had seen a doctor," recalled Jessica, 30. "She told me she couldn't afford to take a day off or visit a clinic; she had no health insurance because she didn't have a valid work visa. I was surprised, as working in the UAE without a permit is illegal." They sat down and dialled Noresil's employer, N.E. (full name withheld), who "screamed at the worker and threw insults at her", according to Jessica, who overheard the conversation. When she intervened, he claimed Noresil's visa was "under process". However, the Filipina said she'd been working for him for over four months. In the UAE, employment visas are usually processed within a week. Jessica raised a complaint with Justlife, the platform she used to book the service. "I got a call back within 10 minutes, and they said Noresil wasn't their employee but was outsourced," Jessica said. "I booked the service through them, not an unknown agency they outsource from, so I expected them to have conducted due diligence." Confiscated passports Noresil had originally arrived in the UAE from the Philippines in 2022. She worked as a housemaid in Al Ain for two years and, when her contract expired, re-entered the country on a visit visa while continuing her job search. It was during this time that N.E. offered Noresil a job while she was on visit visa. She began working in December as a domestic worker with a monthly salary of Dh2,000. "He took my passport after promising a job; I was never really given a choice," Noresil said. When Jessica asked Noresil why she was still working for her employer, Noresil told her that N.E. was holding her passport and "unwilling to hand it over". To resolve matters, Jessica took Noresil to the Al Barsha Police Station to report the conditions of her employment and passport confiscation. The police instructed them to head to N.E.'s office and call for patrol assistance. By the time they arrived at the Satwa apartment, seven more undocumented workers — who said they had all been employed similarly by N.E. without proper visas — joined them, hoping to get their passports back. Khaleej Times spoke to the property manager of the building, who confirmed that a Dubai Police patrol officer had responded to the women's call and worked with the apartment owner to compel N.E. to return the passports, which he finally handed over to building security. Yet, over WhatsApp voice messages — which Khaleej Times obtained — N.E. continued to threaten and intimidate the workers, warning them of retribution. Overstay fines totalling Dh81,450 Despite the victory of helping the workers obtain their passports, Jessica decided her work was not done. She reached out to members of the British expat community online to help revise the CVs of the eight workers and enrol some of them in childcare training. The Dubai resident invited them to her home, gathered their details, and calculated their outstanding visa fines. The eight of them face a total of Dh81,450 in fines for overstaying. "I am working with lawyers to get their fines waived. We have compiled a case, and hope officials will recognise it as a humanitarian issue. They are the victims and were trapped in an exploitative environment," she asserted. Khaleej Times' email queries to N.E. went unanswered. However, over the phone, he distanced himself from the maid agency that employed the maids and claimed to have severed ties with them. It is worth noting that the company's trade licence, a copy of which has been obtained, lists N.E.'s name in the address. When asked why he had confiscated the cleaners' passports, N.E. claimed that the company was trying to secure new visas, which were under process, and that some of them had already incurred fines for overstaying. According to the workers' passports, several were already working for him when the UAE launched the 2024 Amnesty programme for illegal expats with fines. N.E. declined to continue the conversation without his lawyer present. Lost amnesty chance Bangladeshi nationals Alamgir and Tushar were two of the other workers who claim they were hired by N.E. on September 9, 2024, with promises of work visas and employment. Alamgir's work visa expired in August 2024, and he incurred a month's worth of fines for overstaying. "N.E. assured me he would fix everything and we trusted him. He took us to offices, collected our fingerprints, and even took us to Tasheel," Alamgir said. During UAE's amnesty programme, they requested N.E. to help them regularise their visa as he held their passports. However, both Alamgir and Tushar say N.E. kept stalling throughout the two-month Amnesty period. They claim that on the last day before the October deadline, he secured an exit pass from Sharjah that would have allowed them to leave UAE without paying fines. But he withheld the documents, which expired after 14 days. "I now have more than Dh12,000 fine and no proper employment," Alamgir said. Tushar, who arrived on a visit visa in March 2023, was working odd jobs when he joined N.E. 'He kept promising a visa but never delivered. We missed the amnesty as well. If I knew he wouldn't help, I would've handled it myself and returned home. No one wants to live illegally,' said Tushar, who now faces Dh33,000 in fines. Justlife suspends partner agency Responding to an inquiry from Khaleej Times, Justlife stated that it had conducted an internal review of Jessica's booking and examined the partner agency's employment practices. It noted that agencies listed on their platform must hold a valid UAE trade licence and sign an agreement. "That agreement obliges the agency to ensure that each professional it deploys [to customers] is a legal resident with a current employment visa and Emirates ID; all documents must be uploaded to the platform before the first booking and renewed within thirty days of expiry, failing which the professional is suspended from further work." However, in Noresil's case, it appears that those measures were not enforced. In response to a followup inquiry from Khaleej Times concerning the enforcement of those measures in Noresil's case, Justlife said it had taken "an immediate and precautionary step, and the partner agency was suspended from their platform". It added that it also gave the partner agency a "documented remediation path to address the issues identified", and told them that "failure to remedy these would result in permanent suspension". At the time of filing this report, Khaleej Times was unable to verify the "documented remediation path" mentioned. Justlife has emphasised that it operates only as a marketplace, adding that while Noresil was "not directly employed" by the company, it is "highly sensitive to the fact that customers place their trust in the Justlife name, and that trust is something we take seriously." The company highlighted measures it has implemented to support workers' welfare, including a confidential escalation channel, a direct-to-professional incentive, and tip disbursement via prepaid cards. Separately, Justlife assured Jessica that it would carry out internal audits of all 3,900 employees registered under the platform to address any oversights. The company added that it is "strengthening [its] oversight processes across the wider partner network to confirm continued compliance with UAE labour standards." What the labour law says According to Hossam Zakaria, a senior legal counsel in Dubai specialising in complex corporate litigation, companies that hire workers through third parties should conduct due diligence before bringing workers into residents' homes. According to UAE domestic worker laws, companies must verify that workers have valid work permits and proper documentation. "When a company uses domestic workers without proper documentation, they can face significant legal consequences. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 Concerning Domestic Workers, recruitment agencies are considered employers in cases of temporary employment and are responsible for ensuring workers have proper documentation and legal status," Zakaria said. He added, "UAE law explicitly prohibits the exploitation of workers, including passport confiscation, failure to provide proper visas, and non-payment of salaries. These practices are illegal under UAE law and can lead to severe penalties." Passport confiscation is explicitly prohibited and deemed illegal in the UAE. Consequences for violators can include imprisonment as well as fines up to Dh20,000. Getting relief from overstay fines In 2022, the UAE introduced a daily fine of Dh50 for overstaying on all visa types, including tourist, visit, and residency visas. This fine applies from the first day after the visa expires, with no grace period. For domestic workers who have been forced to work without valid visas, there are potential ways to get relief from overstay fines. According to Zakaria, "Courts may waive fines in cases where exploitation is proven. The newly established prosecution unit for domestic workers can advocate for victims' rights. However, each case is assessed individually, and there's no automatic waiver of overstay fines, even for victims of exploitation." He added that "authorities generally encourage overstayers to come forward voluntarily, as this often results in more lenient treatment." Currently, Jessica is trying to get the workers' fines waived by the immigration department, but says she is struggling. She's also looking to start her own cleaning company to employ these workers ethically and allow them to live legally in the UAE. "Without having their fines waived and their legal status regularised, I cannot employ them," Jessica said. "This forces them to remain in the country illegally and pushes them back into the same cycle of working without a valid permit and inevitably breaking the law."
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Protecting workers from the heat: Challenges and employer responsibilities in Oman
In the Sultanate of Oman, where summer temperatures can soar well above 45°C, many workers, especially in construction and outdoor services, continue to labour through the intense heat of the day. Despite the legal safeguards enshrined in the Labour Law, the reality on the ground often reflects a gap between policy and practice. Speaking to the Times of Oman, a representative of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm, a leading law office in Oman, explained that according to the Article 70 of the Labour Law, workers should not be made to work more than eight actual hours a day or forty hours a week, and the continuous period of work must not exceed six hours without a rest break. Moreover, the Ministry of Labour typically issues seasonal decisions each year, suspending outdoor work during peak midday hours in the summer. However, enforcement challenges and commercial pressures sometimes push employers to keep operations running, exposing workers to significant health risks such as heatstroke, dehydration, and fatigue, said Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali the founding partner of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm. Another spokesperson from the law firm stated that the law also emphasises the responsibility of employers to provide safe working environments, including protective measures against extreme weather. Yet, many laborers, especially expatriates, continue to endure these harsh conditions without adequate shelter, hydration, or medical care. This not only violates the legal framework but also disregards the basic human dignity of workers who build and sustain the nation's infrastructure. Protecting workers from extreme heat is not merely a regulatory requirement, it is a moral and humanitarian obligation. Authorities must strengthen inspections and ensure compliance, while employers should prioritize health over deadlines. In the face of rising global temperatures, sustainable labour practices are not optional, they are essential, the expert said. (Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm ([email protected]), (+968 244 87 600) was established 18 years ago and is serving clients through its offices in Muscat and Sohar, as well as operating on a request basis in other areas. It offers legal representation across a wide range of practice areas that include Labour Law, Corporate, Commercial, Contracts, Banking and Finance, International Trade, Foreign Investment, Insurance, Maritime Law, Construction and Engineering Contracts, International Arbitration, Intellectual Property and more).
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Civil Rights Agency's Acting Chief to Face Questions on Anti-DEI, Transgender Stances
The acting chief of the country's top agency for enforcing worker rights faced questions at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday over her efforts to prioritize anti-diversity investigations while sidelining certain racial and gender discrimination cases and quashing protections for transgender workers. Andrea Lucas, who was first appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2020 and elevated to acting chief in January, is one of four Labor Department nominees to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Her nomination to serve another five-year term as an EEOC commissioner requires Senate confirmation, though whether she stays on as chief will be up to President Donald Trump. Lucas, an outspoken critic of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and promoter of the idea that there are only two immutable sexes, has moved swiftly to enact Trump's civil rights agenda after he abruptly fired two of the EEOC's Democratic commissioners before the end of their five-year terms – an unprecedented move in the agency's 60-year history that has been challenged in a lawsuit. Lucas is prioritizing worker rights that conservatives argue have been ignored by the EEOC. That includes investigating company DEI practices, defending the rights of women to same-sex spaces, and fighting anti-Christian bias in the workplace. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate committee holding the hearing, has championed many of those causes. He accused the EEOC under the Biden administration of injecting its 'far-left agenda' into the workplace, including by updating sexual harassment guidelines to warn against misgendering transgender workers and including abortion as a pregnancy-related condition under regulations for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Questioning the EEOC's independence, Democrats on the committee are likely to grill Lucas over criticism that she overstepped her authority by profoundly shifting the EEOC's direction to the whims of the president in the absence of a quorum, which commission has lacked since Trump fired the two commissioners. Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the committee, said she will oppose any EEOC nominations unless Trump reinstates the two fired Democratic commissioners, which she and more than 200 other Democratic senators and Congress members condemned in a letter to the president as an 'abuse of power.' 'President Trump is weaponizing the independent EEOC to serve his personal political agenda, firing commissioners without cause and warping the mission of the EEOC beyond recognition,' Murray said in a statement ahead of the hearing. 'Commissioner Lucas is a right-wing extremist who has been in lockstep behind Trump's pro-discrimination agenda.' Lucas has made clear her views of the limitations of the EEOC's autonomy. In a recent memo to employers, Lucas declared that the EEOC is 'an executive branch agency, not an independent agency,' that will 'fully and robustly comply with all executive orders.' That includes two orders that Trump signed in January: one directing federal agencies to eliminate their own DEI activities and end any equity-related grants or contracts, and the other imposing a certification provision on all companies and institutions with government contracts or grant dollars to demonstrate that they don't operate DEI programs. The EEOC's new approach alarmed more than 30 civil rights groups, which sent a letter to the Senate committee demanding that Lucas face a hearing. The groups argued that the EEOC was created by Congress under 1964 Civil Rights Act to be a bipartisan agency that would function independently from the executive branch. The EEOC, the only federal agency empowered to investigate employment discrimination in the private sector, received more than 88,000 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2024. Its commissioners are appointed by the president to staggered terms, and no more than three can be from the same party. Much of the EEOC's authority is granted by Congress, including the obligation to investigate all complaints and enact regulations for implementing some laws. Under Lucas, the EEOC dropped seven of its own lawsuits on behalf of transgender or nonbinary workers. It also moved to drop a racial discrimination case on behalf of Black, Native American, and multiracial job applicants after Trump ordered federal agencies to stop pursuing discrimination that falls under 'disparate impact' liability, which aims to identify practices that systematically exclude certain demographic groups. Instead, Lucas has turned the EEOC's attention to investigating company DEI practices. In her most high-profile move, she sent letters to 20 law firms demanding information about diversity fellowships and other programs she claimed could be evidence of discriminatory practices. Lucas has also repeatedly encouraged workers nationwide to come forward with DEI complaints. She launched a hotline for whistleblowers and said workers should be encouraged to report 'bad DEI practices' after a Supreme Court decision made it easier for white and other non-minority workers to bring reverse-discrimination lawsuits.
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Civil rights agency's acting chief to face questions on anti-DEI, transgender stances
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The acting chief of the country's top agency for enforcing worker rights will face questions at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday over her efforts to prioritize anti-diversity investigations while sidelining certain racial and gender discrimination cases and quashing protections for transgender workers . Andrea Lucas, who was first appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020 and elevated to acting chief in January, is one of four Labor Department nominees to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Her nomination to serve another five-year term as an EEOC commissioner requires Senate confirmation, though whether she stays on as chief will be up to President Donald Trump. Lucas, an outspoken critic of diversity, equity and inclusion practices and promoter of the idea that there are only two immutable sexes, has moved swiftly to enact Trump's civil rights agenda after he abruptly fired two of the EEOC's Democratic commissioners before the end of their five-year terms, an unprecedented move in the agency's 60-year history that has been challenged in a lawsuit . Lucas is prioritizing worker rights that conservatives argue have been ignored by the EEOC. That includes investigating company DEI practices, defending the rights of women to same-sex spaces and fighting anti-Christian bias in the workplace. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate committee holding the hearing, has championed many of those causes. He accused the EEOC under the Biden administration of 'injecting its far-left" agenda into the workplace, including by updating sexual harassment guidelines to warn against misgendering transgender workers and including abortion as a pregnancy-related condition under regulations for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Democrats on the committee are likely to grill Lucas over criticism that she overstepped her authority by profoundly shifting the EEOC's direction to the whims of the president in the absence of a quorum, which commission has lacked since Trump fired the two commissioners. Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the committee, said she will oppose any EEOC nominations unless Trump reinstates the two fired Democratic commissioners, which she and more than 200 other Democratic senators and Congress members condemned in a letter to the president as an abuse of power. 'President Trump is weaponizing the independent EEOC to serve his personal political agenda, firing commissioners without cause and warping the mission of the EEOC beyond recognition,' Murray said in a statement ahead of the hearing. 'Commissioner Lucas is a right-wing extremist who has been in lockstep behind Trump's pro-discrimination agenda.' Lucas has made clear her views of the limitations of the EEOC's autonomy. In a recent memo to employers, Lucas declared that the 'EEOC is an executive branch agency, not an independent agency' that will 'fully and robustly comply' with all executive orders. That includes two orders that Trump signed in January : one directing federal agencies to eliminate their own DEI activities and end any 'equity-related' grants or contracts, and the other imposing a certification provision on all companies and institutions with government contracts or grant dollars to demonstrate that they don't operate DEI programs. The EEOC's new approach alarmed more than 30 civil rights groups, which sent a letter to the Senate committee demanding that Lucas face a hearing. The groups argued that the EEOC was created by Congress under 1964 Civil Rights Act to be a bipartisan agency that would function independently from the executive branch. The EEOC, the only federal agency empowered to investigate employment discrimination in the private sector, received more than 88,000 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2024. Its commissioners are appointed by the president to staggered terms, and no more than three can be from the same party. Much of the EEOC's authority is granted by Congress, including the obligation to investigate all complaints and enact regulations for implementing some laws. Under Lucas, the EEOC dropped seven of its own lawsuits on behalf of transgender or nonbinary workers. It also moved to drop a racial discrimination case on behalf of Black, Native American and multiracial job applicants after Trump ordered federal agencies to stop pursuing discrimination that falls under 'disparate impact liability,' which aims to identify practices that systematically exclude certain demographic groups. Instead, Lucas has turned the EEOC's attention to investigating company DEI practices. In her most high profile move, she sent letters to 20 law firms demanding information about diversity fellowships and other programs she claimed could be evidence of discriminatory practices. Lucas has also repeatedly encouraged workers nationwide to come forward with DEI complaints. She launched a hotline for whistleblowers and said workers should be encouraged to report bad DEI practices after a Supreme Court decision made it easier for white and other non-minority workers to bring reverse-discrimination lawsuits. ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Civil rights agency's acting chief to face questions on anti-DEI, transgender stances
The acting chief of the country's top agency for enforcing worker rights will face questions at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday over her efforts to prioritize anti-diversity investigations while sidelining certain racial and gender discrimination cases and quashing protections for transgender workers. Andrea Lucas, who was first appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020 and elevated to acting chief in January, is one of four Labor Department nominees to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Her nomination to serve another five-year term as an EEOC commissioner requires Senate confirmation, though whether she stays on as chief will be up to President Donald Trump. Lucas, an outspoken critic of diversity, equity and inclusion practices and promoter of the idea that there are only two immutable sexes, has moved swiftly to enact Trump's civil rights agenda after he abruptly fired two of the EEOC's Democratic commissioners before the end of their five-year terms, an unprecedented move in the agency's 60-year history that has been challenged in a lawsuit. Lucas is prioritizing worker rights that conservatives argue have been ignored by the EEOC. That includes investigating company DEI practices, defending the rights of women to same-sex spaces and fighting anti-Christian bias in the workplace. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate committee holding the hearing, has championed many of those causes. He accused the EEOC under the Biden administration of 'injecting its far-left" agenda into the workplace, including by updating sexual harassment guidelines to warn against misgendering transgender workers and including abortion as a pregnancy-related condition under regulations for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Questioning the EEOC's independence Democrats on the committee are likely to grill Lucas over criticism that she overstepped her authority by profoundly shifting the EEOC's direction to the whims of the president in the absence of a quorum, which commission has lacked since Trump fired the two commissioners. Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the committee, said she will oppose any EEOC nominations unless Trump reinstates the two fired Democratic commissioners, which she and more than 200 other Democratic senators and Congress members condemned in a letter to the president as an abuse of power. 'President Trump is weaponizing the independent EEOC to serve his personal political agenda, firing commissioners without cause and warping the mission of the EEOC beyond recognition,' Murray said in a statement ahead of the hearing. 'Commissioner Lucas is a right-wing extremist who has been in lockstep behind Trump's pro-discrimination agenda.' Lucas has made clear her views of the limitations of the EEOC's autonomy. In a recent memo to employers, Lucas declared that the 'EEOC is an executive branch agency, not an independent agency" that will "fully and robustly comply" with all executive orders. That includes two orders that Trump signed in January: one directing federal agencies to eliminate their own DEI activities and end any 'equity-related' grants or contracts, and the other imposing a certification provision on all companies and institutions with government contracts or grant dollars to demonstrate that they don't operate DEI programs. The EEOC's new approach alarmed more than 30 civil rights groups, which sent a letter to the Senate committee demanding that Lucas face a hearing. The groups argued that the EEOC was created by Congress under 1964 Civil Rights Act to be a bipartisan agency that would function independently from the executive branch. The EEOC, the only federal agency empowered to investigate employment discrimination in the private sector, received more than 88,000 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2024. Its commissioners are appointed by the president to staggered terms, and no more than three can be from the same party. Much of the EEOC's authority is granted by Congress, including the obligation to investigate all complaints and enact regulations for implementing some laws. EEOC shifts the focus of discrimination cases Under Lucas, the EEOC dropped seven of its own lawsuits on behalf of transgender or nonbinary workers. It also moved to drop a racial discrimination case on behalf of Black, Native American and multiracial job applicants after Trump ordered federal agencies to stop pursuing discrimination that falls under 'disparate impact liability,' which aims to identify practices that systematically exclude certain demographic groups. Instead, Lucas has turned the EEOC's attention to investigating company DEI practices. In her most high profile move, she sent letters to 20 law firms demanding information about diversity fellowships and other programs she claimed could be evidence of discriminatory practices. Lucas has also repeatedly encouraged workers nationwide to come forward with DEI complaints. She launched a hotline for whistleblowers and said workers should be encouraged to report bad DEI practices after a Supreme Court decision made it easier for white and other non-minority workers to bring reverse-discrimination lawsuits. ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
