ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to set up ajoint committee for ensuring the protection of Pakistanis workers rightsand resolving their legal job disputes in the Emirates under a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU), signed recently between the two states.
The committee would be formulated as per the Article 7 of the MoU signed byActing Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations TahirHussain Andrabi and UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation(MOHRE) Nasser Bin Thani Al Hameli in Geneva to foster cooperation in humanresources sector and protect Pakistani workers’ rights.
The committee would comprise of at least three members from each state –led by a senior official and meet annually or when it was deemed necessaryin either country, the MoU read.
Zulfikar Bukhari termed it Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’sachievement on diplomatic front.
He said the MoU would further strengthen bilateral relations between twocountries that were fostered by strong bonds of religion, culture andmutual economic interests.
He expressed his gratitude to the UAE’s leadership and MOHRE for such kindgesture, adding that this was a good news for Pakistani diaspora, residingin the Emirates.
Zulfikar Bukhari further said that it was made possible due to activeinvolvement of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the trust and bond the twocountries have now, along with the level of commitment and transparency.
The protection of labour class was the top priority of PTI government, hesaid while promising the optimum care for Pakistani manpower abroad duringits tenure.
The MoU was proposed in 2014 but could not come into practice becauseprevious government’s reluctance over the matter, Zulfikar Bukhari said. “We are trying our best to give them 100 per cent ownership…as my ministryand its attached departments are working tirelessly to facilitate those whoserve our country immensely,” he said.
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According to MoU, both the countries have agreed to ensure collaborativeadministration of the contract employment cycle through use of informationtechnology, exchange of information and continuing studies in the area of labour.
To ensure legal and risk-free working environment for Pakistani workforceupon arrival in the UAE, it has been decided that the employment job offerwill be signed by both parties, prior to the worker’s departure fromPakistan, an official of Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi said on Tuesday.
The job offer will clearly state the rights and obligations of the workerand employer and will also provide the basis for the Employment Contract tobe registered in the UAE.
According to MoU, Pakistan and UAE would strengthen their respective regulations to combat trafficking in persons, besides regulating private employment agencies to enforce fair and transparent recruitment practices in their respective jurisdictions.
In order to improve the administration of full temporary employment cycle, both the states also decided to undertake joint collaborative programmes and activities including pre-departure and post arrival educationalprogramme.
Pakistan and the UAE have also decided to undertake joint activitiesincluding pre-departure and post-arrival educational programmes to improvethe administration of contract employment cycle. The Article 6 of the MoUdeals with the dispute resolution between the worker and his employer. Incase, no amicable settlement is reached within six weeks of the complaintfiled by the complainant, the complaint will be referred to the judicialauthorities.
