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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Emirate car ban on menial workers | Emirate car ban on menial workers |
| (7 minutes later) | |
| Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, is to bar workers in certain jobs from applying for driving licenses, a newspaper has reported. | Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, is to bar workers in certain jobs from applying for driving licenses, a newspaper has reported. |
| The ban will cover 86 categories of mainly menial jobs - including cooks, housemaids, gardeners, and tailors. | The ban will cover 86 categories of mainly menial jobs - including cooks, housemaids, gardeners, and tailors. |
| It was brought in by Sharjah's police traffic department to curb congestion and pollution, the report says. | It was brought in by Sharjah's police traffic department to curb congestion and pollution, the report says. |
| The United Arab Emirates have one of the highest ratios of car ownership to population in the world. | The United Arab Emirates have one of the highest ratios of car ownership to population in the world. |
| The report, which appeared in the Gulf News daily newspaper, was linked to from Sharjah's official police website. | The report, which appeared in the Gulf News daily newspaper, was linked to from Sharjah's official police website. |
| The impact of the ban on workers may be compounded by the poor state of public transport in the emirate. | The impact of the ban on workers may be compounded by the poor state of public transport in the emirate. |
| Many, if not most, of those hit by the driving ban will be foreign workers in low-paid, unskilled jobs. | Many, if not most, of those hit by the driving ban will be foreign workers in low-paid, unskilled jobs. |
| The report said driving licence applications would still be accepted from those with university degrees. | The report said driving licence applications would still be accepted from those with university degrees. |
| The UAE is heavily dependent on foreign labour to fill positions which locals have not traditionally filled. | |
| Expatriates make up 84% of the United Arab Emirate's 5.6 million population, often sending remittances home to boost family income. | |
| Sharjah's move comes in the wake of a decision by the other emirates to shelve a plan which would have banned all vehicles over 20 years old. | Sharjah's move comes in the wake of a decision by the other emirates to shelve a plan which would have banned all vehicles over 20 years old. |
| No official reason was given for the change of mind, but it is thought that the impact of the global economic downtown may have played into it. | No official reason was given for the change of mind, but it is thought that the impact of the global economic downtown may have played into it. |