Action has been taken against the company after a complaint was lodged by a woman national
The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has referred a private company to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for deducting money from financial aid allocated under a federal program for Emirati interns .
This follows a complaint from an Emirati intern at the company. It was found that the company asked the trainees to pay a monthly financial contribution, which was deducted from their financial support received during the 12-month training process under the “Nafis” program. The company claimed that it attributed the amounts deducted to humanitarian initiatives.
“Such practices are considered a violation of the requirements explained to institutions before they were authorized by Nafis to train Emiratis,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. “Such practices are also seen as a deviation from the fundamental objective of the training process, which is to equip Emiratis in the private sector and develop their skills before they are permanently employed by these institutions after the success of the training.
The MoHRE stressed that it will “firmly address violations by imposing administrative penalties and fines on establishments that attempt to exploit Nafis incentives and benefits.”
Nafis offers multiple benefits to Emiratis, including wage support, family allowances and unemployment benefits. On-the-job training assistance aims to support the salaries of Emiratis wishing to engage in practical training programs in the private sector.
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Earlier this week, the ministry said it had started issuing fines to companies that falsify emirates data. If an establishment carries out false Emiratisation to benefit from the Nafis program, a fine of between 20,000 Dh and 100,000 Dh is imposed for each false Emirati employee. The same sanction applies to companies that submit incorrect documents or data to obtain benefits. An administrative fine of 20,000 Dh will be applied for each Emirati employee if the beneficiary did not join the work after the issuance of a permit and the company did not report it. The same penalty applies if the establishment fails to notify Nafis of a beneficiary’s work stoppage.
UAE companies with 50 or more employees are required to increase their Emiratization rate by 2% of all skilled jobs each year. From January 2023, a monthly fine of 6,000 Dh will be imposed on any Emirati not hired.
“Nafis will continue to support and empower Emiratis, improve their competitiveness to join the private sector and help the sector achieve its goals,” the ministry said.