Recalled, the ambassador who exploited his maids
United Arab Emirates says it will investigate its man after tribunal awards workers €80,000 each
THE ambassador who was found to have exploited three Filipino maids, paying them under €2 an hour for a seven-day week, has been re-called by his government to explain his breaches of Irish employment law.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it took the matter seriously and, accordingly, had decided to recall the ambassador to Abu Dhabi pending an investigation.
The tribunal heard Ambassador Khalid Nasser Rashed Loo-
‘They treated us like slaves’
tah and his wife, Mehra Metad Alghubaisi, had paid the women less than just €170 a month to perform housework and other tasks for 15 hours a day, seven days a week. They were constantly on call, had their passports confiscated and were never given a day off.
However, despite the recall, Mr Lootah is still officially accredited and has not been declared ‘persona non grata’.
Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan last week wrote to the UAE expressing his concern at the tribunal’s findings. EAT chairman Niamh O’Carroll Kelly condemned as ‘appalling’ the
working condi- tions of Myra Calderon, Laylanie Laporga and Jennifer Villaranda. She ordered Mr and Mrs Lootah to pay them €80,000 each.
Afterwards, Ms Villaranda, said she and her colleagues were treated ‘like slaves’. A spokeswoman for the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, which has worked with the women for the last few years, said the judgment was ‘very progressive’.
However, she emphasised that the ambassador must not be allowed to invoke diplomatic immunity in response to the tri
bunal’s verdict. She also called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to intervene and make sure that the awards were paid.
A department spokeswoman told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Mr Flanagan will continue to follow developments closely and hopes that it will be possible to achieve a satisfactory resolution of these cases.
‘He has emphasised that it is the duty of all persons enjoying diplomatic privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the host State, including labour law.’
But Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesman Brendan Smith said: ‘There must be at all times a basic regard and respect for staff in embassies. I believe it is time to review the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.’