The UAE and the Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation in the field of labor—specifically for aid workers.
The memorandum was signed by Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization HE Saqr Ghobash and Department of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello during a ceremony held Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi, reported Al Bayan.
“The memorandum of understanding between the UAE and the Philippines reflects the keenness of the two friendly countries to enhance their cooperation in the field of labor and facilitate the procedures of accepting and bringing domestic help workers to ensure the transparency of the contract between the parties to the labor relationship and their conformity with the relevant legislation in force in the two friendly countries,” HE Saqr Ghobash said.
Ghobash pointed out that the memorandum of understanding related to auxiliary employment was the culmination of the consultations held between the two nations.
The agreement was reached after the Council of Ministers commissioned the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization to supervise the auxiliary labor sector in the country.
For his part, Bello said that the memorandum of understanding strengthens the partnership between the UAE and the Philippines in the field of manpower.
The introduction of domestic aid workers from the Philippines is expected to begin immediately after necessary arrangements are made that will facilitate the recruitment process.
The said MoU provides a number of measures at all stages of the contractual work cycle, including the following points:
- This shall include a policy that orders recruitment offices to send ‘work offer’ to the worker prior to his/her flight
- The contract of employment shall be signed by the employer and the worker upon arrival to the UAE
- Under the memorandum, only private recruitment offices duly registered under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization will be allowed to apply for any recruitment of domestic workers from the Philippines
