And today……..
Travel permit plan is one option: govt
By Nada S. Mussallam
28 January 2005
ABU DHABI — Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Dr Ali bin Abdulla Al Kaabi has confirmed that a proposal to introduce a new policy requiring expatriates to obtain a travel permit for leaving the country is one of the few alternatives aimed at protecting national security and safeguarding the rights of employers and employees. Speaking to Khaleej Times yesterday, the minister said he had not denied a report published Wednesday by this paper about the proposal.
A section of the local Press had carried reports quoting Dr Kaabi as having denied the report.
“I haven’t denied the report. We are actually discussing this proposal with the Ministry of Interior as one of the alternatives to develop mechanisms to maintain national security and safeguard the rights of both employers and employees,” Dr Kaabi said over telephone. An exclusive KT report had unravelled the mechanisms being studied by the ministries of Labour and Interior to come up with a new policy to solve the problem of retaining employees’ passports by employers.
“One of the mechanisms that will be discussed by the two ministeries is issuing a temporary travel permit for expats working in the country instead of holding back their passports,” Dr Kaabi reaffirmed.
“The idea behind this proposed measure is not to bar people from travelling outside the country, but to ensure that they keep their passports with them. This mechanism will guarantee the rights of both employers and employees and put an end to the problem.”
“Retaining a personal document is a problem that has prompted the ministry to come up with such a mechanism in coordination with other agencies concerned,” said Dr Kaabi.
“It is a problem that needs to be resolved through legal channels,” he added.
Going into details revealing other proposals being discussed by the two ministeries, Dr Kaabi said on is to introduce a new technology which would help the authorities to check whether the foreigner leaving the country is barred from travelling. The two ministries are already linked through an electronic network that also links all entry and exit points where data on each foreigner can be accessed in a matter of seconds