ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates has eased its tough rules for foreign workers who want to change employer, loosening the controversial “sponsor” system. “An employee with an expired contract can obtain a new work permit and shift to another employer” without having to wait six months and have his sponsor's consent, the Labor Ministry said. The new regulation takes effect in January and will “replace the current formalities of transfer of sponsorship for expatriate workers,” it said in a statement carried by the Emirati state news agency WAM. It said the measure applies only if the two parties in a labor contract have “ended their work relationship cordially” and the employee has “worked with his employer for at least two years.” However, if the employer “fails to honor his legal or contractual obligations or if the contract is proven to have been prematurely terminated” by the employer, the worker will have the right to change jobs. Bahrain was the first to abolish the sponsorship system in August 2009, while Kuwait said it will follow suit in February. The International Labor Organization (ILO) in early October urged Gulf countries to protect millions of migrant workers by reforming the sponsor system and introducing a minimum wage. The ILO estimates 15 million migrant workers live in the six Arab states of the Gulf, making up about 40 percent of the total population. – Agence France
