ABU DHABI, 16 Oct, 04 (WAM) - The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairshas evolved a new policy for identity cards and documents - the fingerprintwill replace the signature of employees in the employment contract. About5,000 fingerprint machines will be distributed to organisations that aremembers of the Intelligent Application Form System, along with the printingcompanies, according to reports in the UAE's dailies.
Currently, the new system is under trial in two Dubai companies, butwill later be provided at the state level to 300 large companies affiliatedto the electronic unit. The trial period will end in the middle of nextmonth, when the experiment will cover all private sector establishments.
The new system will inhibit any fraud concerning incoming and outgoinglabourers, the ministry underscored. It will also protect the labourer?srights and ensure his health and fitness.
'The ministries of Labour and Health will hold a joint meeting in Dubaito agree on the ways and means of implementing the fingerprint systemin the medical check-up as well as other procedures adopted for labourers'appointments, such as the labour card, employment contract, etc.,' AhmadKajoor, Assistant Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, said. Minutedetails of the new system like dealing with the medical check-up, registrationof data, signing of the contract, and receipt of the labour card willbe discussed, he added.
Recently, a number of counterfeit cases like forged contracts were broughtto the Court of Law, he said, which led the ministry to think of an alternativeto protect the rights of labourers, and to ensure the legitimacy of incomingand outgoing labourers.
A study of the labour disputes revealed that signatures of labourerswere often forged, and sometimes they would not be aware of the detailsof the contracts they had signed.
What is worse is that they would sign documents without realising theywere termination papers or acknowledgement of the receipt of their gratuities.
The fingerprint project, which will be finalised in about three years,will put an end to an era of frauds that has hindered productivity andmarket stability. It will also relieve the ministry of the enormous pilesof papers and cut short the routine procedures, which often cause delayin transactions and allow for fraud and swindling, Ahmad Kajoor assured.
The fingerprint system is the first step towards electronic inspectionaimed at controlling the market, he said.
The inspector would take the fingerprints of the violators, forcing themto approach the ministry, which will in turn promptly deport them, heexplained.
Moreover, establishments will be unable to deny recruiting violatorsor evade acknowledging the assignments of labourers.
On the other hand, the ministry has provided the establishments withendorsed signature cards to overcome any forgery by the employer in bringinglabourers into the country.
