Penalties proposed for withholding employee passports

According to the Ministry of Labour, employers are not allowed to keep the passports of their employees in their custody as per the law. A proposal to impose penalties on companies which withhold passports of their employees will be submitted to the Federal National Council for its consideration, Salem Al Mamari, Chairman of the Labour and Labourers Committee at the Emirates Human Rights Association, has said. According to the Ministry of Labour, employers are not allowed to keep the passports of their employees in their custody as per the law. The ministry has time again appealed to all establishments to refrain from withholding the passports of their workers and release them immediately but, unfortunately, several companies continue to do so. Addressing a symposium organised by the association on Tuesday to mark International Labour Day, Al Mamari said the study, in which the proposal to impose penalties has been suggested, also contains some solutions to address scenarios like employees in certain positions like bank staff and accountants who can take huge amounts of money and leave the country if they their passports with them. For instance, it can be made mandatory for people in some posts to produce a letter from their places of work (employers) for leaving the country. Al Mamari shed light on the salient provisions ensuring the protection of workers’ rights, including the Wage Protection System, which played an effective role in reducing labour strikes. The ministry’s Open Day has also enabled workers to keep in touch with the officials directly and without barriers to make their voices heard. - Khaleejtimes.com