Kazakh woman shares her experience of forced labor in Dubai

Tengrinews.kz - In recent years, many Kazakhs have sought job opportunities abroad, drawn by the promise of higher wages and new experiences. However, not all foreign employers are trustworthy. Arina's story of being trapped in a situation of forced labor in Dubai serves as a stark warning for others.

Employment in Dubai

Arina moved to Dubai at the end of 2018, initially working as a waitress in a boutique hotel before becoming a sommelier. Her first two jobs were positive experiences, but things took a turn for the worse when she joined a new restaurant.

"I changed three jobs and two of them were fine. The boutique hotel trained us, provided us with accommodation, transfers and food. The salary was small, but it was enough. I made friends with my colleagues, and we became like a family.

Later, a colleague moved to a famous restaurant in Dubai and invited me, saying that I was a good fit. I already had experience of working in America and Dubai," said Arina.

According to Arina, she was immediately accepted at the restaurant, where she worked for over a year. The salaries were good, and the establishment provided everything she needed, just like before. Thanks to working in an elite restaurant, Arina was able to save money and travel.

"We worked 12-13 hours, but we were not tired because of the high pace, knowing that we would get generous tips. Then the owner changed, the staff began to change frequently, and layoffs started, salaries began to be delayed, sometimes by two or three months. My colleague and I constantly visited the accountants, who only said that they themselves had received nothing.

After that, there was uncertainty. I moved to Kazakhstan to find out what I wanted and what I wanted to do," said Arina.

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Falling Into a Trap

Three months after moving to Astana, in December 2022, a colleague from her previous job offered Arina a vacancy in a new restaurant. Mira, that was the colleague's name, had already been working there for two months. Trusting her, Arina flew to Dubai in January 2023, rented a place and started working.

Arina said that the restaurant started paying her salary in instalments or a month in advance. But there was another problem: Arina's work visa started to expire.

"The restaurant opened me a visa that allowed me to work legally for a while, but it started to expire 6 months after my dismissal. The manager promised to solve the problem, but soon disappeared, and the new manager said it was my problems. He also left after a month," Arina said.

She could not make a work visa on her own and was afraid of fines from the emigration services for the expired period. According to her, they don't care, because they are not the ones who bring foreigners to work.

"The employers didn't care if we had money or not. My visa expired and I didn't know what to do. There are huge fines in the Emirates and I had to pay millions of tenge. I found myself in labour slavery and felt vulnerable as I had no money even for rent," she said.

Arina and her colleague Mira started looking for lawyers to resolve the restaurant's debt of five salaries and a fine for an overstayed visa.

"When we found a lawyer, she started preparing a lawsuit, and we thought things would get better. But the restaurant stopped feeding us and treating us like human beings. We didn't know what to do, and we regretted taking the job there. In the end, one day we didn't go to work," Arina said.

The lawyer said the restaurant was sued 366 times by suppliers, sharers and employees. The work contracts were fictitious and not enforceable in court.

"The restaurant and the company hired people with weak passports or even illegal immigrants. Most likely, the fictitious employees were needed to cover up other activities. It is important to research information. It is better to settle for large and trusted hotels and restaurants, especially if your English is at a high level," she added.

Return to Kazakhstan

In order to return to Kazakhstan, she had to pay a fine for an expired visa, which was about 2 million tenge. After applying for a reduction of the amount, the fine was reduced by 4 times. With the remaining money she bought a ticket and returned home.

Emigration for the purpose of working abroad is popular among Kazakhstanis. To avoid problems, it is worth paying attention to the following points when concluding contracts:

Carefully review the contracts with the labour recruitment company.

Check whether the company has contracts with foreign firms.

Make sure the company has a licence to operate.

Study reviews about the company on social media.

Do not hand over money without a signed contract.

Check online if there are vacancies and work visas in the intended place of work.