The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday it would introduce a standard contract for domestic workers and their employers, including salaries, holidays and working conditions, from April 1.
Conditions of work for thousands of domestic workers, mainly from south-east Asia and Africa, have often been condemned by non-governmental organisations which say abuses include unpaid or withheld wages and excessive working hours.
Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahayan said the new contract would improve the lives of the UAE's expatriate residents, particularly domestic workers who constitute a large segment of the workforce.
The departments of Immigration and Naturalisation, throughout the UAE, will enforce the contract when issuing new visas for domestic workers. The first article of the contract specifies the monthly salary, which it states must be paid in full at the end of every month.
Valid for two years from the start of actual work but able to be extended, the contract includes conditions governing holidays, air tickets and medical care, including the employer's responsibility to repatriate the body of any worker who dies.
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