E-Guarantee Smart Card to streamline recruitment

In line with the government's e-initiative to enhance procedural efficiencies, the ministries involved have decided to utilise pre-paid Government Client Cards (GCCs) for issuing guarantees digitally, a move that will further ensure the rights of employees as well as tighter regulatory control.

Once again the smart card solution is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance, which also pioneered the introduction of the government's E-Dirham card in 2001 to facilitate and regulate payments for routine government services.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, CEO of Mashreqbank, hailed the move as another milestone achievement on the road to e-government. "We are delighted to be partners with the Ministry of Finance and Industry and the Ministry of Labour to help bring this initiative project to fruition. Over the past few years, the UAE has made tremendous strides in adopting the latest technology and, in keeping with our commitment to total quality management, we are proud to play our part in the overall development of the country for the good of all."
Explaining how the service works, Mohammad Shazly, Head of the Wealth Management Division of Mashreqbank said "Initially two locations have been selected and Mashreqbank has established counters for issuing E-Guarantees within the Ministry of Labour offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai."

The labour approval letters issued by the MoL for renewing or issuing new visas are bar coded with all the relevant information for issuing the guarantee electronically.

Any MoL approved company holding a GCC card may utilise the E-Guarantee procedure. Additionally, any walk-in customer may buy an E-Guarantee from the Mashreqbank counters for the face value of the guarantee plus an additional charge, which is significantly less than the current Letters of Guarantee system.

The new system is designed to ease the procedures for obtaining the E-Guarantee. It saves time since the E-Guarantee can be obtained from Mashreqbank within the ministry building itself. Turn-around time is also reduced as it is delivered on the spot, once the required documents are presented.

Moreover the new procedure is flexible in allowing partial or complete refunds of the guarantees upon the instructions of the MoL.

"In addition to easing the procedures for issuing the labour guarantees, the Ministry of Labour has standardised the fee for issuing the guarantee issued, which represents a significant saving," said Shazly.

"The E-Guarantee system has been fully beta-tested and can be utilised now," said His Excellency Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Assistant Undersecretary for Revenue and Budget, Ministry of Finance & Industry. "We anticipate that 30 percent of employee guarantees will be made via GCC cards within a year and will soon replace written letters of guarantee."

"We would like to thank Mashreqbank for once again being so proactive in helping us achieve this e-government milestone." Al Bustani added.

Initially the E-Guarantee is available at Mashreqbank counters in the premises of the Ministry of Labour in Abu Dhabi and Dubai only. The project will be rolled out to other emirates in the near future.