Emiratisation

a local of UAE is called an emirati. UAE has only about 20% locals, so you can imagine what the workforce here is comprised of. most locals work in the government where they get paid double or triple the normal the asians get (europeans are well compensated here!) and work less than 8 hours per day! plus, the government gives them a huge sum of dirhams (monetary unit) as a gift when they get married, and monthly allowance for their kids' schooling, and they have free medical services for all ages! oh, a charmed life!

last 2005, the Labor Ministry has released the 'emiratisation' law which states that for every 50 employees in a private company, there must be 2% (or 1 pax) local. i view this as a forced taxation for companies. kinda smart huh? oh well...

so, why the change? i assume that the population of the locals are booming, and the government cannot anymore cope up both in creating job positions and the provision of regular allowances. so this has to be borne by another sector-- you guessed it right, the private sector! although, personally, i think it is also to prepare the emiratis in what is going to happen in the future-- that their life isn't that charmed after all! globalization is here, and oil reserve will deplete in time... so they have to start learning how to work and live like the rest of us mortals.

this law has posed 2 conflicts in our company. (1) their salaries will create a gap in our scheme, and (2) we cannot find an emirati who can do what our staff does. remember that they are not used to our 'multi-tasking' and 'hard-working' culture, specially the ladies who are usually a stay-home moms or non-working young girls....


.... well, two years after, one of the emiratis we hired last march 2005 is still with us. she may not be what we expect her to be, but we know that she is the best among her league who has adapted well to our culture. a colleague once told me how she defended our company to her co-emiratis when asked why she was working in an all-filipino company when she can find one which is multi-cultural and will give higher salary. she says she enjoys her time with us, and i guess the pinoy charm has endeared her to us, and she says our happiness is so contagious. so it's not surprising that she knows more tagalog words than we know arabic words. she's been so immersed with the filipino culture, and says she loves it!

reversely, we are learning so much about the 'real' arabic culture which we cannot usually get from the books. family life, young girls' lives, arabic men, traditions, work life, weddings, arranged marriages, divorces, raising kids, and the list goes on and on... local women are very much 'revered' here i.e. you cannot stare at them, you cannot take photo of them, you cannot just talk to them, so looking at her, having photo opp with her and talking to her somehow bridges the cultural gap between us. (not to forget that she makes our pinoy trademark request for 'souvenir picture with a local' always possible!). she gives us a good peek of what their life is.... to which i must say, i will not trade places with!

simply put, talking to her makes me appreciate my race, and my life more...