All non-government maid-hiring agencies in the UAE will be shut down by March, a Cabinet minister announced on Tuesday.

Nasser Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization, said the move is meant to better protect the rights of workers and employers.

In a report by The National, Al Hamli told members of the Federal National Council that citizens and residents would have to hire domestic workers from Tadbeer, a network of service centers.

Al Hamli revealed that 250 private recruitment agencies had been shut down and the remaining 10 will be closed in March”.

Alhamli said, Tadbeer, which has 54 recruitment offices nationwide, were set up by the ministry in 2018.

Licenses of the private companies were not renewed since 2017, while 99 agencies have been fined for continuing to operate despite the suspension of their licenses.

Authorities assured that agencies located in free zones would not be affected by the decision.

Hamad Al Rahoomi, an FNC member for Dubai and deputy speaker of the chamber, asked why private recruitment agencies that brought in workers illegally on tourist visas and sent them to families to work as housemaids were allowed to operate.

Al Rahoomi lamented that the “black market” did not protect the rights of the employers or the maids.

“These businesses do not guarantee that the worker will stay with the family, but when you pay just AED10,000 for two years, this is what you can expect,” Al Rahoomi was quoted by The National.

Al Rahoomi added many workers quit before the end of their contract and the private agencies offered no guarantee that they would honor the contract.

“You can get such a guarantee with official recruitment agencies like Tadbeer,” he said. “The old private recruitment offices are causing an imbalance.”

Services at Tadbeer centres are more expensive because they offer different packages and visa services.

Aside from offering flexible contracts and free replacements, Tadbeer also does all the paperwork for the clients.

Tadbeer also sets the salary for maids and their work hours. More importantly, Tadbeer ensures that maids are paid on time regularly. (CC)