UAE, India to activate electronic contract registration system for contract workers

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India have agreed to activate an electronic registration and validation system for contract workers in order to streamline the employment of Indian contract workers in the UAE.

UAE's ministry of labour and India's ministry of overseas Indian affairs today signed the protocol of an electronic contract registration and validation system, at Abu Dhabi, achieving a milestone in the efforts to upgrade rules and procedures governing contract employment of Indian nationals in the UAE, an official release said today.

The new system ensures the full transparency of the contracting process by mandating that the prospective worker be duly informed by Indian government-accredited recruitment agencies of the terms of the contract offer, including the scope of remuneration and employment conditions and benefits, prior to deploying to the UAE, Saqr Ghobash, UAE minister of labour said.

The system requires that the worker signs off on the terms of the contract and that the competent Indian government authorities approve these terms before the admission process is completed and a work permit is issued.

These same terms are then electronically captured into the formal employment contract that is signed by worker and employer in the UAE, Ghobash elaborated further.

He stressed the importance of safeguarding and protecting the interests of both workers and employers under the provisions of the UAE's labour laws.