Employers must retain signed job offer letters

Abu Dhabi - MoL says it should be presented as evidence if any issues arise

The Ministry of Labour (MoL) has called upon employers to keep the original job offer letters signed by both parties to present as evidence if an issue arises on signatures or thumbprints.
The MoL earlier this year began implementation of new procedures for the issuance of work permits where the ministry obliges the employer to send the job offer and annexes containing comprehensive description of rights and duties between both parties. It is then either signed for those classified in the first, second and third skill levels, or thumbprinted for workers at the fourth and fifth levels.
Humaid bin Deemas Al Suwaidi, assistant under-secretary of labour affairs, called upon workers to reach out to the ministry in case of a false signature claim on the offer letter. In such cases, employers are required to bring the original letter, which shall then be referred to the court for further inspection.
On their part, employers must keep an eye on the signed job offer letter to make sure the worker has signed it, as the responsibility lies with employers. However, labour courts are the competent authority to deal with such issues.
The above procedures apply to workers residing in the UAE and seek to move from one establishment to another, either by signing the proposed job offer or placing their thumbprint depending on their skill level, all before approaching the ministry to request a work permit.
The ministry praised the cooperation among the departments after the launch of the initiative on the directives of Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour, with regards to unifying labour contracts, employment relationship termination, and granting work permits.
Anish, a staff from an Abu Dhabi-based recruitment agency, told Khaleej Times that the letters signed by labourers are sent to the MoL and kept there.
"The letter signed by the employee is sent to the labour department when applying for the work permit. Once it has been approved by the labour department, we receive the electronic work permit, which was previously known as the labour card," he said.
However, Al Suwaidi told Khaleej Times that employers need to collect the original letter from the MoL.
"If the original job offer letter is sent to the labour office, the employer will be notified to collect the original copy, which he/she must obtain," he said.
Al Suwaidi noted that obtaining the original letter is the employer's responsibility.
"Some labourers may claim that they didn't sign the letter, so the employer must keep the original copy approved by the MoL as a reference. Some recruitment companies here and abroad even take pictures of the employees signing the letter as a reference."
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE