Domestic workers refuse to return to their home countries after the end of their employment contracts

Families hosting domestic workers have stressed the importance of humane treatment towards them, with their different tasks, and to ensure that they have safety requirements, especially in light of the current health conditions, noting the emerging crisis of the Corona virus (Covid 19), which is taking place in the country and the world.

Some families revealed that their workers requested to continue working, at the beginning of the crisis, despite the end of their work contracts, due to their confidence in the state's health system.

A number of owners of labor recruitment agencies in the Emirate of Fujairah reported that no complaints were received regarding the flight of domestic workers during the past month, considering that the phenomenon of flight during this period is exceptional, especially during the weeks leading up to the approaching month of Ramadan, as many of them are waiting for the opportunity in this The period to flee from the homes of their sponsors, on the pretext of increasing workload, and in search of job opportunities with higher salaries.

In detail, Abdel Rahman Ali Mohamed said that he was suffering during this period of each year, particularly with the approaching holy month of Ramadan, threatening the domestic worker to flee, or declaring her desire to return to her home country if his salary did not increase, due to the intensity of work compared to other periods of the year However, he did not face this behavior in the current period, indicating that she «continues her work silently. And you look happy with her among us. ”

The citizen, Sarah Ali Muhammad Suleiman, supported him in the opinion, saying that "the precautionary measures of the Corona virus served domestic workers and families together, as they protected them from conditions that may not be healthy for them, as they stopped the problems of the flight of domestic workers completely."

She continued: «It is fashionable during this period of each year that many workers flee from the homes of their employers because of the many work in the blessed month of Ramadan, from preparing, cleaning and cooking until late at night. She said that her maid had finished her work with her, but she refused to return to her country because of the circumstances the world is currently going through, pointing out that her maid asked her to stay with her until the end of the crisis, because of her confidence in the state's health system.

Umm Muhammad pointed out that she faced a similar circumstance, because her maid insisted on ending her work contract before Ramadan. When her time came to leave, she asked her to agree to continue working, because she was concerned about the outbreak in the country.

"The fact that the maids remain in such circumstance is a humanitarian matter. They are honesty in the neck of families and their safety must be preserved," she added.

The citizen Abdel Rahman Ali Mohamed said that the maid who works in his house will end its residency within two months, which made him use the recruitment office in Fujairah to bring in a new maid, but his former maid refused to return to her country in light of the conditions the world is going through, preferring to stay at home In spite of the close month of Ramadan and the large number of housework in it.

He added that the former maid believes that staying at home now is safer than returning to her country.

He continued that she did not mind deducting her salary if needed, due to the salary burden of two maids.

The citizen Muhammad Rashid Al-Naqbi confirmed that the maids are more benefiting from the precautionary decisions imposed by the state, as the maid working in his house asked him to stay and renew her residency, despite her previous decision to return to her country.

He indicated that he had responded to her request for fear of her health.

Managers of labor recruitment agencies emphasized that attractive job opportunities that were available to domestic workers from some companies or stores that accept illegal employment by “brokers”, taxi drivers or grocery store workers, are not possible under these conditions.

"Since last month, we have not received any complaints of escaping from maids' sponsors, as usually happens at this time of the year, with the approaching holy month of Ramadan approaching, as we used to receive complaints from sponsors that maids escape from their homes," said Mona Mahmoud.

She pointed out that the maids currently found that the safest refuge is the homes of their sponsors in the light of the circumstances the state and the world are going through. Likewise, the decisions imposed by state institutions and the precautionary measures that they took to confront the Corona pandemic made them feel safe.

She emphasized that the "brokers" who were trying to attract them and provide attractive opportunities for them, compared to their salaries, stopped working during this period, due to the interruption of demand for hourly workers, whether in the shops or homes, because customers are afraid of transmitting the Corona virus, as a result of moving from a place etc.

The opinion, supported by an employee of the recruitment office in Fujairah, Ali Abdullah, was supported by opinion, saying that "Corona" had lost the illegal labor market, the elements of gravity that it enjoyed, and revealed its fragility. A majority of them concluded that their sponsors' homes are better for them than going out and looking for other job opportunities, although the salary may be lower.

He added, “With the security authorities stressing that they will not leave the homes during the implementation of the national sterilization program, it is difficult for domestic workers to implement the plans of brokers, who know how to infiltrate them and give them attractive offers, especially since the majority of them were fleeing late at night.”

Standard tasks

The Director of the Office for Recruitment of Workers, who requested not to be named, stressed that the workers who are in the homes of their sponsors are more stable than fugitives, as the precautionary decisions imposed by the state emphasized reducing family gatherings and preventing celebration of social occasions during this period to prevent coronavirus, as « The Right to Tonight »and other occasions when family members usually meet, or a number of families in one house, which means that they will only bear the usual tasks, because the amount of work will be less than usual in such a period of the year. Also, they will not have to move from one home to another, as are their colleagues who fled from the homes of their employers, and consequently, will not expose themselves to the risk of contracting the virus.

Families: Keeping maids in this circumstance is a humanitarian matter. They are honest in our necks, and their safety must be preserved.

Recruitment offices:

"No complaints related to the flight of domestic workers during the past month."

"Corona's precautionary measures protected domestic workers from being exposed to danger."