UAE To Raise Govt Workers Salaries By 70%

[uplock]

Guess our 6% pay rise this year fades into insignificance...

Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007

DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--The United Arab Emirates will raise the salaries of civil servants and military officials by 70%, the state-run Wam new agency reported Tuesday.

The increase will come into effect on Jan. 1, Wam reported citing a decision by the UAE federal cabinet.

Cost of living in the UAE, the Middle East's second-largest economy, has been rising steadily as the country benefits from an economic boom and faces decreasing value of its dollar-pegged dirham currency.

In Dubai, which is part of the UAE, thousands of workers have staged sometimes-violent protests at construction sites, protesting their decreased buying power. The UAE government is now mulling a minimum wage for the workers.

[uspilot757]

Don't hold your breath for any pay increase... Remember, it's a 2 class society. Locals (as last year) will get a much bigger pay raise than ex pats...:ugh:

[disconnected]

Hey we dont need a pay rise. We are protected by ERP!

That con will give EK all the excuses it needs to defer significant pay rises. We would all be doing a lot better if it wasnt there or at least not capped

Beware how the demise of the Dirham plays out. Anyone accepting employment with EK should look very carefully at the possible outcomes.

[Desert Diner]

Locals (as last year) will get a much bigger pay raise than ex pats...

I guess you must be new to the region, if you find this as unusual.

Think of it as their "seniority" list.

You didn't expect to be treated fairly and with respect when you came out here now, did you?

[kingoftheslipstream]

do some readin' on Islam... it's all covered under the conceptual framework of dhimmi... and the jizya (tax) on non-muslims living under muslim rule... it's historically and doctrinally correct.
It's designed to belittle and humiliate folks... and so it goes...
happy contrails!
k-o-t-s

[QCM]

There are not Muslims expats pilots? Which rule so for them?

[EGGW]

No but they are expat muslims, not locals. So therefore KOTS, argument doesn't quite hold up.

EGGW

[Fox3snapshot]

Will be interesting to see where this generous increase will extend amongst our public service sector. I am sure it will be like all the other 'Federal' pay increases that never quite made it to our department, apparently only the Nationals are feeling the pinch with inflation, rents and the cost of a gas cylinder! :rolleyes:

[Desert Nomad]

What a stupidly inflationary measure that is by the government. Let's just give more money to people who have more than they know how to spend and give it to a bunch of people that do little or no work. :mad:

why don't they give these billions to the labourers to improve their lot. I would also like some of it. of course I would be responsible and spend it wisely... :)

[kingoftheslipstream]

No but they are expat muslims, not locals. So therefore KOTS, argument doesn't quite hold up.
EGGW

Well, to be specifically correct, yeah, there are expat pilots of the Islamic faith who fall in to the same criteria as the rest of us expats, and they won't get a pay rise. You're quite correct...

However, in general terms, I am correct. Without goin' in to a big long lecture, I'm jes' tryin' to place some of what we see in a bit of a historical context... I mean the kinda history that we're not really s'posed to be familiar with... and if you spend enough time readin' it's there waitin' ta be uncovered.

The concept of dhimmi applies. Often in ways that we don't detect unless we're lookin' for it. For those of you who are not UAE nationals, and rent housin' on the local economy... jus' compare your water (DEWA) and electricity rates to those of a UAE national... this is a soft method of jizya, a tax that must be paid by non-muslims as punishment for not converting to the superior faith. The concept of the dhimmi applies in interesting ways that us westerners don' always perceive... we just see the symptoms, not the root cause. At EK, there's a nice pension for the locals an' diddly squat for the expat workforce. This is correct application of the dhimmi concept. There's no equivocation on this matter, an' it's not open for negotiatin' either. The western concept of 'equal pay for equal work' don't apply, an' never will because the principle underwriting the concept places non-muslims in an inferior light.

Consider the various inequities within expat life here - the way police have a 'do as I say, not as I do' presence on the roads... consider the phenomenon (harmless as it may appear) of the heavily tinted windows of local's cars an' trucks. Expats, well we can't get away (legally, unless you play games with Drs'. diagnoses and claim an allergy to sunlight, which is a current an' effective method) with that but the locals can. Heavy tint permits anonimity and creates a power gradient: it's like sunglasses... when you can't see someone's eyes, you're at a disadvantage... consider the bizarre situation of an expat making a rude hand gesture to an off duty cop who was driving in a way that irritated the expat... remember what happened to the expat? No consequence for the offensive driving... just for the rude gesture. This is due to an underlying belief system, based on Islamic principles which are there for one to uncover if you take the time an' interest to read... it's not a superficial arrogance, it's embedded in the fabric of the faith which is the lifeblood of the mideast culture.... nuff said.
Good night 'n good luck!
k-o-t-s