‘Minimum wage fixed at Dh800 per month’

The minimum wage for Pakistani blue-collar workers in the UAE has been fixed at Dh800 per month in addition to accommodation and health insurance, a senior diplomat said.

“We are thankful to the UAE Government for accepting our request to fix minimum wages, as it will help end the exploitation of blue-collar workers by some employers,” Moazzam Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, said at a gathering at the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai.

Khan said the Pakistani government is also talking to other Gulf countries to implement a similar system.

He added that he has also requested the Pakistan government to help open more community schools in the UAE. “We have seven Pakistani schools in the UAE, but we need at least 14 to meet the demand from the increasing number of students,” he said.

Commenting on a complaint about some expats being treated badly at Pakistani missions, Khan said such incidents are rare, but he would talk to officers and staff at the missions to improve their behaviour.

“I have also requested the government to increase staff and build a new and bigger consulate,” he said.