NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE : THE NATIONAL

‘Black henna’ linked to harmful chemical

ABU DHABI - FEB. 19: A chemical frequently added to henna, the reddish-orange dye used to paint temporary flowing designs on women’s hands and feet, may be regulated because it can cause severe allergic reactions, the Ministry of Environment and Water said.

The ministry said the chemical, P-phenylenediamine (PPD), was used in hair and textile dyes, printing inks and the manufacture of black rubber, but in recent years has been added to henna mixes – especially ones known as “black henna” – to speed up the dying process and produce a deeper stain on the skin.

It can cause irritation, burning, scarring, create sensitivity to certain medicines and trigger asthma and respiratory problems if inhaled.

Henna manufacturers “are adding a certain chemical [PPD] and that chemical might cause an allergic reaction on the skin. It is a dangerous chemical,” Dr Sa’ad al Numairi, an adviser at the ministry, said on Tuesday.

“That chemical is harmful on the skin, but at what concentration? This is the question. How much you can safely add, and at what concentration, you have to study.”

The ministry was considering limiting the amount used in henna mixes and launching a campaign to raise awareness about its dangers, he said.

The decision to put PPD under review comes after an independent researcher last week presented a study on PPD in henna to ministry officials. Concentrations of up to 29.5 per cent were found in the 25 samples of henna products that were analysed.

The EU, which describes the chemical as an “extremely potent skin sensitiser”, bans the use of PPD in products to colour the skin, eyelashes or eyebrows, and recommends a concentration of no more than six per cent in hair dye.

Any products containing the chemical in Europe must carry a warning.

“With the introduction of PPD to the natural henna, the public has become exposed to this chemical with unknown concentrations, putting them under the risk of developing severe allergic reactions,” said Aysha al Suwaidi, a researcher who undertook the study in collaboration with the University of Sharjah.

Natural henna, which is made from the plant of the same name, leaves a red-orange stain on the skin, but adding PPD creates a darker, red-black hue and products containing the chemical are often marketed as “black henna”.

The study found that all black henna samples tested from salons and shops in the UAE contained PPD, while a small proportion of red henna samples did as well, albeit in lower proportions.

PPD is an allergen and can cause strong reactions on exposure, according to Dr Mouza al Suwaidi, a consultant dermatologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

Even if someone does not have a reaction the first time they are exposed to the chemical, they can become “sensitised” to it over time and can have an adverse reaction on re-exposure. Reactions range from simple skin irritations to more serious conditions.

Another particular danger is that certain vital drugs have a similar structure to the chemical, and the body may reject medication such as antibiotics and anti-diabetic drugs after exposure to PPD, she said.

In rare cases, the chemical can cause life-threatening conditions such as kidney failure, or even death, in some people with a deficiency of the G6DP gene.

The genetic deficiency is more common in the Gulf than other regions, said Dr Suwaidi, adding that many of those who suffer from it know they should not take certain drugs, but are unaware of the potential danger of henna to them.

“The problem is that they don’t realise that this chemical, which is similar in structure to the medication they can’t use, is hiding in this type of henna and temporary tattoos,” she said.

In a recent case in Dibba, in Fujairah, a woman with the enzyme deficiency was admitted to hospital suffering from vomiting and abdominal pain after applying henna.
Dr Suwaidi called for more regulation of PPD’s use, and said it should be prohibited completely from use in henna products.

“They just use it randomly and nobody is controlling how much they put in. I think it should be banned because it’s applied directly on the skin in a very high concentration. There’s a high risk,” she said.

She added that the number of people having adverse reactions to henna dyes had risen recently, with two visiting her clinic in the past week alone. She speculated that the increase could be caused by an increase in the popularity of black henna.

A beautician at the London Ladies Salon in Sharjah said more customers were requesting the colour: “Black is popular, red henna doesn’t look so good.”
She said she knew chemicals were added to black henna but did not know what they were.

Alice Joy, the manager of Angel Beauty Salon in Bur Dubai, said she believed the black henna used at her salon did not contain henna leaves, but was a mix of hair dye and henna oil. She said she had never heard of PPD.

Ms Joy said the black henna was particularly popular among Europeans and Sudanese nationals, adding that Emiratis still tended to prefer the traditional kind.
Rehana Kusar, the manager of Arab Sisters Ladies Salon in Abu Dhabi, said she preferred not to use black henna because of the health risks, but would apply it if a customer requested it.

At her salon red remained the most popular type, but some women asked for a mix, while two or three people a week requested black henna. She agreed that the black kind was overwhelmingly preferred by her Sudanese customers.

“If someone asks for black henna I check that they don’t have allergies, and I won’t use it on babies,” she said.

Allergic reactions to natural henna are very unusual and the plant carries a number of health benefits.

A study carried out in India confirmed its antibacterial potency.

May al Hamly, 23, an Emirati, said she generally preferred traditional henna, especially for special occasions such as weddings or Eid, but would use black henna for small designs or tattoos, despite having once had an allergic reaction to it.

“It was fine the first time I used black henna but the second time I had a small design on my wrist and it came up with a rash. It wasn’t that bad, just itchy,” she said. “I’d still probably use it for a small design, but not a large one.”

Asma Mohamed, 21, said she also preferred red henna and that one of her friends had had an allergic reaction to the black variety. “I’ve heard that some of the materials contained in black henna are very bad for you,” said the Emirati. She said she had used it once, just to try it, but would not do so again.”

Pay cheque pleasure

ABU DHABI - FEB. 19: They have tax-free salaries and are hanging on to their jobs, which might explain why a new survey indicates that seven per cent of professionals in the UAE are “highly satisfied” with their wages.

When the survey was conducted last year by Bayt.com, a Middle East jobs website, and YouGov, a market research firm, only three per cent of people reported that level of satisfaction.

“They might be happy they still have a job,” said Vivek Wagle, a research director with YouGov in Dubai. “They’re looking at their friends and family who are losing jobs, who aren’t getting salary rises.”

The Emirates were on par with Bahrain and Qatar as having the biggest earners in the region. Seven per cent of respondents earned more than US$10,000 (Dh36,730) a month, while 20 per cent had salaries of $5,000 to $10,000 a month.

A survey by GulfTalent.com released in October showed that salaries in the UAE rose an average of 13.6 per cent last year, the biggest increase in the region, compared with 10.7 per cent in 2007. But those rises have not nearly kept pace with the cost of living.

Respondents to the Bayt.com-YouGov survey said that although their salaries had risen by 15 per cent, living costs were 37 per cent higher. Last year’s results showed salaries rose by an average of 17 per cent, compared with a cost of living increase of 35 per cent.

The Middle East Salary Survey is conducted annually. The information was gathered online in December and January, with 13,881 respondents in 13 countries from the Middle East and North Africa.

This year, a quarter of respondents said they were not saving anything, while most managed to save between one and five per cent.

About 76 per cent of respondents from reporting they felt the effects of the economic downturn. The UAE was also one of the gloomiest countries, with 29 per cent of those asked saying they felt pessimistic about the future.

“Usually, people aren’t happy with their salaries,” Mr Wagle said. “But it’s a feeling not just of pessimism, it’s an ‘I don’t have enough’.”

Several professionals taking a break from their desks yesterday, while not “highly satisfied” with their pay, were not complaining either.

“It’s sort of 50-50,” said Paul Finnan, a graphic designer. “I don’t suppose it’s an adequate salary compared to what apartments cost.” Mr Finnan, who arrived late last year, is paying double what he did for accommodation in England. But, he is not paying any tax, so “basically, I’m on par”.

The survey’s most-satisfied respondents worked in the higher-paying oil, gas and petrochemical sectors; the least satisfied were those in teaching and academics, the Government, civil service, transport and travel.

Inside Starbucks, Gillian Arnott, from Scotland, said she worked for a defence company and had been in the country for five years.

Although this is the first year, Mrs Arnott has been “happy” with her salary but believes she is paid less as a woman and her family’s second earner. She also wondered how people on middle income salaries were managing.

“In Abu Dhabi, with the rents the way they are now, I don’t know how you would support yourself.”

Yigit Sezgin, Mrs Arnott’s brother-in-law and a regional director of sales and marketing for the Rezidor Hotel Group from Turkey, said the region would always offer benefits for some and not others.

“There are particular professions, I believe, wherever they go they make a good salary,” Mr Sezgin said. “And if they come here to the Middle East they can make even more money.”

Stefan Willendorfer, who came to work as director of sales at Rezidor seven months ago from Austria, came to the capital because it is a centre for hospitality. “I am satisfied with my salary compared to my former salary because of the benefits,” Mr Willendorfer said. “But the main reason I came here was because of the opportunity.”

An international director of the Dubai property recruitment specialist MacDonald and Company in Dubai said clients have been made redundant and are having to take salary cuts to get back into the job market.

The director, Matthew Taylor, said inflated salaries of six months ago have been downgraded.

“They’ve taken on board all the people they can take on board,” said Mr Taylor. “Companies have to be realistic about what the market is doing.”

Fake firms exploit economy of trust

DUBAI - FEB. 19:  Mohammed Hilal Muroushedi, director of the compliance division at the Department of Economic Development (DED), said Dubai offered businesses “one of the most conducive environments to grow and prosper”.

However, he said it was unfortunate that certain investors “took advantage of the business-friendly climate of the emirate to indulge in fake businesses”.

As we report below, one typical victim of the scam was defrauded of more than Dh250,000 (US$70,000).

A foreign business wishing to set up a limited liability company (LLC) must be partnered with a local company, which retains no less than 51 per cent of the operation. But it is common practice for power of attorney to be assigned to an expatriate stakeholder, in effect ceding control of the company but also relieving the sponsor of legal responsibility for its subsequent activities. It is under these circumstances that so-called “brass plate” companies are free to perpetrate frauds.

According to one lawyer, who declined to be identified, sponsors might become more selective when choosing companies and individuals if they were made more accountable.

“If the law is changed in such a way that local sponsors are not fully exempt from the activity of the foreign companies, I certainly think they would practise a lot more caution,” he said.

The DED, said Mr Muroushedi, had “initiated several steps to curb the problem of fake companies”.

These included a strict surveillance programme, involving “site visits and inspection of offices to ensure that the company’s activities are as per the licence issued”.

Furthermore, details of offenders have been posted on his department’s database. “This will ensure that their licences are not renewed the next year and all transactions based on the current licence are made null and void,” he said.

Any complaint about a company would trigger an immediate investigation. “If the complaint is true, we immediately suspend the company and co-ordinate with jurisdiction authorities to take measures to protect the individuals or companies dealing with it.”

According to Mr Muroushedi, “the number of offending companies has come down drastically due to the intense monitoring campaign, surprise inspections and continuous follow-up. DED is also taking steps to double the fine to discourage businesses from resorting to fake business practices.”

New labour policy for Emiratis

ABU DHABI - FEB 19: Private-sector employers may not lay off Emirati workers for anything other than exceptional misconduct, the Ministry of Labour announced yesterday.

The new policy is a response to concerns that private-sector companies could lay off staff because of the global economic downturn.

Under the policy, companies may sack Emiratis only for serious misconduct defined in labour law, such as arriving to work under the influence of alcohol, stealing from the company or forging identity documents.

Those that want to lay off Emirati staff for economic reasons must seek permission from the Ministry of Labour.

Even in cases where Emiratis underperform or their positions are scrapped in a general staff reduction, they must be retained in other roles.

“Companies must contact the ministry for any reason if they want to terminate the job of an Emirati,” said Humaid bin Demas, the ministry’s acting director.

“After the notification, the ministry will enter into a discussion with both parties to discuss the reasons behind the termination. “Based on that the ministry will inform the company of the requirements after studying all possible avenues, within two weeks.”
The ministry would also consider it unlawful if companies replaced an Emirati worker with an expatriate.

In reference to about 20 Emiratis who were made redundant last week by Al Futtaim Group, Mr bin Demas said: “It is our social responsibility to keep all Emiratis in work, and I would like to play down fears that people are losing their jobs because they are not and you can see that by the number of complaints we have had in the last year.”
He said the Al Futtaim layoffs were the only cases of Emiratis losing their jobs for economic reasons.

“Our concern is the concern of all Emiratis, all companies and expatriates and I would like to move and reassure everyone and calm down talks of hysteria.”

Mr bin Demas said the law should not deter foreign investors, noting that there are only 15,000 Emirati workers registered with the ministry, compared with three million foreign workers.

The figure does not include Emiratis who work for government-backed companies such as Emaar, Nakheel and Dubai Holding.

The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) proposed the new policy to the ministry.

“This is great news for all Emiratis concerned,” said Feddah Lootah, Tanmia’s director general. “The next step is to stop Emiratis from having to take their cases to the courts. Hopefully this law will be clear to everyone.

“There are still a lot of unemployed Emiratis that are overlooked in the job market and they need to get jobs.”

A corporate headhunter, however, said the policy was a “knee-jerk reaction” by the Government that “could backfire”.

“I have lived in Middle East and Saudi Arabia for over 16 years. where they had passed policies like this that have led to a huge problems in the workforce,” said Jack Montgomery, an independent executive-recruitment consultant based in Dubai.

“In Saudi you will find locals not hiring locals because when they do hire them they find it extremely difficult to shift them. “Companies would now avoid hiring Emiratis when once they looked for nationals as a matter of pride and as the face of the organisation.”

Mr Montgomery said companies with a large number Emirati employees – especially banks, where up to half the employees are Emiratis – would be affected the most.

“Usually when companies are laying off people it means it is either folding the company or getting rid of those who underperform. So now, where would companies get the money to retrain Emirati staff that they can’t shift to another department? Especially in a time like this it would be difficult.”