Thursday, Apr 27, 2017

Sharjah: The Sharjah First Instance Court has found two housemaids guilty of running away from their employer’s house and ordered them to pay their employer the recruitment fees including visa and medical test charges, a lawyer said on Thursday.

The verdict is the first such order in a case of absconding maids by a UAE court, Eman Sabt, the lawyer for the employer, said.

The two Sri Lankan maids were each ordered to pay roughly half of the total Dh22,635 to their employer, the court ruled.

Sabt said the ruling was delivered after the judge found the two maids guilty because they did not comply with the terms in the contracts.

The events pertaining to the case started on July 1, 2014 when the employer hired the two maids through a local agency.

The first woman was supposed to work as a nanny and the second woman as a maid, both for a monthly salary of Dh825 each. The first maid ran away after six months into the job while the second maid escaped after seven months.

The contracts between the employer and the two maids stated that they should work at the family’s house for two years and they should follow all conditions mentioned.

The employer lodged a complaint with the Sharjah Residency Department alleging that the two maids had run away and managed to get a travel ban issued against them.

The employer also filed a lawsuit with the Sharjah Courts demanding compensation for the expenses he had incurred. The lawyer submitted to the court all bills and invoices for the expenses.

Judge Mohammad Sulaiman Al Dhamour ordered the two maids to pay back the money equivalent to the employer’s expenses.

What to do if your maid absconds

Lawyer Eman Sabt said that an employer should file an absconding complaint with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs — Investigation and Follow-Up Section.

If the employer wants the money he has spent to hire the maid returned, he can lodge a lawsuit with the court after filing the absconding complaint with the residency department.

By Aghaddir Ali Staff Reporter

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