New UAE domestic workers law: Up to Dh5,000 fine for overpriced maid services, failure to give refund

With the UAE's new domestic workers law, which came into force earlier this month, the government ensures that recruitment process is regulated, leaving no room for unfair practices.

From the work hour limits for maids, personal drivers, and other household staff to the manner through which they must be hired, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has detailed all the rules that must be followed to ensure that rights are protected and obligations are fulfilled.

A fine of up to Dh1 million shall be imposed on those who violate any provisions of the law. Penalties could even be multiplied to a maximum of Dh10 million based on the number of people involved in the violation.

In a tweet shared on Friday, Mohre detailed the administrative penalties that could be slapped on maid recruitment agencies that do not comply with the new law. These include fines for overpriced services and non-compliance with refund guidelines in case an employer opts to return a worker.

Here's the list of violations and corresponding penalties:

• Non-compliance with the prices of service packages approved by Mohre or hiring from outside electronic systems: Dh5,000 fine for each case)

• Non-compliance with the contract forms approved by the ministry (Dh5,000 fine for each case)

• Presenting the resume of a violating domestic worker or a domestic worker with a work interruption complaint (Dh5,000 fine for each case)

• Hiring a domestic worker who did not fulfil the medical examinations or the conditions for issuing a residence permit (Dh5,000 fine for each case)

• Failure to display the prices of service packages approved by the Ministry in a clear place for customers (Dh2,000)

• Non-compliance with refunding all or part of the recruitment amount to the employer within the specified period, which is 2 weeks from the date of returning the domestic worker to the agency or from the date of reporting their absence from work (Dh2,000 fine for each case)

• Delaying the availability of the domestic worker for more than the agreed period with the employer when recruiting them from outside the country (Dh100 for each delayed day and up to Dh1,000)

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