Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in domestic labor affairs, revealed a new phenomenon has surfaced in the domestic labor market saying large numbers from Kuwait are finding their way to the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai due to the ease of the procedures currently in place for obtaining an entry visa.
Al-Shammari told a local Arabic daily Kuwait has become a “transit” point and a gateway for those who wish to go to Dubai to work since they are recruited through local offices in accordance with legal frameworks, and then apply for a “visa” and go to the Emirates.
He pointed out that the work environment in the UAE, unlike Kuwait, is attractive to all workers in general and domestic workers in particular, with higher salaries and fewer labor disputes, not to mention the ease and smoothness of government transfer procedures, which allow workers to move from one employer to another, even moving to the private sector as was the case in Kuwait in the past.
Al-Shammari said: “Unfortunately, Kuwait repels this labor, due to the exacerbation of labor disputes, which, according to the statistics of the Public Authority for Manpower for last October, amounted to more than 1,000 complaints, which varied between leaving work, being referred to the judiciary, and withholding the worker’s passport,” in addition to complaints about not receiving the monthly dues or the end of service.
He noted the delegation of the Philippine Ministry of Labor, which is currently visiting the country, met with the workers in the embassy to identify their problems and try to speed up the procedures for their return to Manila.
He added: “This delegation will prepare, after the expiration of its visits, a detailed report on it, including the meetings it conducted; whether with PAM officials and the owners of local employment offices and then submit it to the competent authorities in the Philippines.
Such reports affect greatly and directly on the Philippine decision, especially if the report includes negatives about the conditions of employment, noting that the Philippines decided almost 3 years ago to stop exporting its labor to Kuwait.
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