‘I was a hopeless case … now I have a great future in a job I love’


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Once a secondary school drop-out serving three years in jail and with no plans for the future, S?J, 28, is now the manager of a petrol station and holding a degree.
"I never finished my education," he says. "My father passed away and we had a lot of family problems." The youngest of seven – four sisters and two brothers – he dropped out of school to work for the Government.
"I was young and I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. In the last few months of my sentence, I heard about the work readiness programme and got really excited about it."
The only obstacle, he said, was a requirement of at least one year remaining on his sentence.
"I had only six months but I argued that a semester was only four months and I could continue later at the college. But he classes were full and there were five of us wanting to enrol. We were put on the waiting list and promised that if anyone got early release and left, we would be allowed in."
By chance, four prisoners left the programme. "But again there was a problem that there were five of us and only four places. So the programme director decided that he would examine all of us and those of us who got the highest grades would enter the programme.
"This was one of the most stressful times of my life. After the exam, I kept asking the other four how they did. I was very scared. I spoke English a little with my family and knew how to use the computer well but I was still very worried.
"When the results came out, the instructor called out my name. My heart sank, I thought he was definitely calling out the one student who had failed the test."
S?J not only passed the test, but was the only one to receive a perfect score.
He was released in 2008 and finished his degree at HCT. "Emotionally it was hard. I was treated like everyone else at the college. In prison we were never treated like inmates but like students. But it was still very different being out of prison and at college. It took me a while to get used to the change."
After completing the course work, students go through eight weeks of work placement.
"HCT happened to have a career fair and one of the employers was Adnoc, and I applied there."
His interview went so well that he was immediately offered a full-time position.
"I loved it there. They asked me to remain after my work placement and I stayed with them even though I wasn't getting paid. I was enjoying the work so much."
In June 2009 he was hired as a full-time employee, and later promoted to manager of an Adnoc station.
"This degree has changed my life and perspective on things."
B R, 33, has a year remaining on his four-year sentence for drug offences.
"I joined the programme last year and I have learnt many things since then," he says.
"I had dropped out of school because I really couldn't afford it and chose to work instead. This programme has helped me continue my education and it's free.
"I hardly knew how to use the computer before but now I have learnt how to go online and do research. Other inmates who have graduated tell me that they have all found employment. I can't wait to finish my sentence and get a job."
salnuwais@thenational.ae

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business