Confusion over rules for NOC requirement

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

Gulf News

Dubai: Ambiguity prevails on the rules for issuing the No Objection Certificate (NOC) when changing sponsors, say public relations officers.

It seems that there is a new rule at the Ministry of Labour everyday and no clear mechanism is in place on how to implement it, said Eyad Nassif, Public Relations Officer (PRO) at Fujairah National Construction.

"We as PROs are lost when it comes to these new decisions, especially with regard to the NOC rule as there is a lot of confusion on what is required. There should be a reference point at the ministry that provides us with the necessary information but it is simply not there," said Nassif.

A PRO, who spoke to Gulf News on condition of anonymity, said the ministry has no clear mechanism on how to implement its strategy and its new rules.

"Ambiguity prevails at the Ministry of Labour with regard to the new rules on when the No Objection Certificate is needed; even the officials in the ministry are confused and each of them applies his own rules," he said.

He suggested that the ministry issue a newsletter to companies explaining all the new rules to eliminate any confusion.

Osama Al Digidh, PRO at a private school in Dubai, said that they only learn about the new rules when submitting applications to the ministry.

"Many times we get our applications rejected just because there are new sets of rules which nobody has told us about as it is difficult to keep track of the ever-changing rules of the ministry," said Al Digidh.

However, Mohammad Zuheir, PRO at Dulsco, said the information concerning the new rules is available at the ministry and the legal advisers can be contacted to clarify any confusion.

"The problem is not lack of information as you can submit an enquiry letter to the legal department but it is more a time issue as the legal department at the ministry is understaffed and it takes time to reply back," he said.

Lack of awareness

Obaid Al Zahmi, assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour, admitted that the lack of awareness of the ministry's rules and regulations is causing a lot of confusion and needs to be addressed.

"Our rules are clear with regard to the NOC, but the problem is that not many people are aware of them and this we need to address," he said, adding that the ministry is now paying more attention to these issues.

By Wafa Issa

Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.