Who says government officials are not creative people? The Dubai Labour minister actually coined a new word for the economic crisis – it’s a ‘holiday’!
According to today’s ‘Gulf News’ he rejected recent research reports by several banks that predicted a fall in Dubai’s population by up to 17%, mostly due to redundancies in the real estate and construction sector.
According to Mr. Gobash, workers are not being laid off but simply going on holiday. Damnit, I must talk to my boss. I really feel like going on an extended holiday now. Not gardening leave. Holiday, you understand, is paid leave.
Incidentally, most national newspapers today report on a 4.7% year on year increase in air traffic for Middle East carriers at a time when other airlines worldwide face a dramatic downturn in air travel.
Could this have something to do with many expatriates “going on holiday” from Dubai to India or Britain, I wonder? I think I may have discovered Mr. Gobash’s cunning plan behind all this: To support national airlines in times of crisis, the Labour ministry simply encourages expat workers to take more vacations, et voila’ - air travel’s up!
Do you realize how fortunate we all are to live in a country where government does its utmost to spare us bad news?
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15 comments:
very well written by you, but I think that the ministry of labour is the last we have to lesten to when it comes to accurate statistics or even worforce matters, as they are just executives and what drives the market is not them or there laws but the loacl business men and wealth holders opinion.
Very fortunate... Hey, it's way better than seeing depressing/horrifying headlines every single day!
It may be obvious for the people living in the UAE, but they are lying to not scare more people off. If they tell the truth straight the economy would be going downhill and everybody will out of jobs. And we don't want that, now do we?
Nick,
I do think you are mistaken, as Emirates staff have been given the option to go on holiday themselves, without pay.
Which begs the next question, who is flying the holidaying staff, let alone vacationing workers?
Aren't you also supposed to get your job back after the holiday? :)
bye bye, don't come back please :)
"Phoenix partners with Mideast city of Dubai"
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/29/20090429dubai0429.html#comments
I'm not coming back ... (raises metaphorical finger..) :)
No, no, am happy to work here and get paid by a company who makes their money fleecing the government, overcharging for our services and products in the 'monopoly' that we have. All that and we don't have to hire locals in the UAE. Gotta love Free Zones.
Come on ABIT...waiting for you to comment especially!
good, the less disrespectful people the better.
Actually, not everyone made redundant is getting permanently laid off. There are some who are given long time off. None-paid, though. On the hope that things would pick up again, soon.
Nick, unpaid leave isn't uncommon. Also, work/residence visas aren't cancelled, instead kept alive...I know some firms have done so in past..though I'm not sure I'd buy all of Mr. Gobash's hogwash...
PE -
I believe you mean to say "the fewer disrespectful people the better".
signed, the grammar police
a curious situation
Looks like Proud Emirati is preparing himself for the long trudge to the well to collect water...pre-1950 days, here we come!
(Let's hope we haven't forgotten the fine art of goat-herding.)
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