Friday 24 February 2017

HCT Contract Ripoff: - Join the Fightback!

Suede Oasis is extremely pleased to be able to report the following case of an HCT employee who has already successfully won one case against HCT and is currently waiting for the outcome of two others for compensation and end of service benefits. The teacher’s lawyers are confident that many of the things demanded will be awarded, especially a much better calculation for the relevant end of service benefits.

What this means for current and previous HCT employees is that, for those who were employed prior to 2013, the end of service benefit had to be calculated using the full salary and benefits up to 2013. This is apparently due to an addendum to federal law that applied to those in academia. After 2013, employees should have received 1.5 months of their salary per year of service after five years, and 2 months’ salary per year after 10 years.  

Anyone who whips out their calculator and figures out what they should have gotten, and compares it with their actual end of service benefit, will see that the difference is large.

So what can you do?

Well, the lawyers concerned already know very well how make a case for any exploited HCT teacher, even if you have signed your end of service agreement and are now living outside the UAE. However, you do need to file your case within a year of signing your end of service agreement. 

So, if you would like to take advantage of these lawyers’ expertise, please email me and I will pass on their contact details.

Finally, A few words direct from the employee concerned: "This particular HCT victim would like to thank Taleb Obaid and Zakir Khan of HCT Human Resources for creating the situation that brought all these legal details about the correct calculation of HCT end of service benefits to light, in fact to the benefit of all government and semi government academic institution employees. At the same time this victim regrets the embarrassment these two men have brought to the HCT, and the Federal Authority of Human Resources, whose responsibility it was to provide oversight that would have prevented all of this. This victim recommends that the government take a closer look at individuals working for HCT HR who feel inclined to create and implement policies that cause resentment from the employees. This series of events will very likely result in additional lawsuits from other HCT victims as the news gets out, so this victim recommends that all effort be made to settle such cases out of court.  The costs and the embarrassment would be less. Thanks to Taleb Obaid and Zakir Khan, the government will be paying a lot more now in end of service benefits."

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, so it really is 'payback time' for HCT's workers!

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is sort of good news. What was up with the oversight agency, fox guarding the henhouse?

A bunch of people were not renewed recently, many from prior than 2013. So moving forward the HCT will be incentivised to remove anyone from prior to 2013?

Khalifa Exile said...

Another nail in the HCT coffin? Certainly hope so!

Anonymous said...

I used to know somebody, that to my knowledge, is still employed here. I say I used to know this person, but as it turns out, I never knew this person. If staff and management at HCT are anything like this person, the above reference to a coffin for this place, won't take long to become a reality. In fact, from what I read here, it's almost a done deal.

Suede Oasis said...

The typical hallmark of HCT incompetence now glistens even brighter! News has emerged that some 80 plus employees who had been reliably informed by HR last month that their contracts would be renewed have now been told ... that they will not be renewed!

Well done to the head of HR for this spectacular display of incompetence, one that is probably unequalled in HCT's entire history! Please mail me with any comments if you are one of the unfortunate victims to be caught up in this almighty cockup, and we can publish a fuller and better account.

SO

Anonymous said...

Same thing happened to me last year when my contract was up for renewal! I was told numerous times my contract would be renewed, even in a meeting with top HR people. "You have nothing to worry about" and "your contract will not be affected" [by all the changes and non-renewals that happened last year] are a couple direct quotes that come to mind. All bullshit. HCT did not pay the full amount due to me for my gratuity/end of contract payment either. HCT doesn't honour what it puts in writing, so why should anyone believe anything they say or 'offer'!!!

HCT should be avoided like the plague. Used to be an alright place to work, but that time is LONG GONE. I would tell even the utterly desperate to avoid that place!

Unknown said...

Why do they not consider application for job for those who left HCT?

Bubba said...

Because they're super smart, ya moron!

Anonymous said...

Hi Suede,

I'm a teacher at HCT and am in the current crop of employees that are in limbo in terms of a contract. Although we have received an email stating that we have been "successfully considered" (whatever that means), there is no contract in the offing. There are many rumors, unconfirmed as of yet, that HCT, in their infinite lack of competence, will reduce the terms of the contract as they have been doing slowly for the last few years.

Anyway, HR informs us that since we haven't seen the contract and it wasn't sent within the contractually agreed upon date, we may be able to cash out without any penalties in June/July if we don't like the terms of the contract.

So, having read your blog regarding successful litigation by a teacher regarding the end-of-service payout and your offer to share the details of the lawyer(s), we would appreciate you passing on (or publishing) the names and numbers.

There are many of us involved in this, and the potential to shame HCT into doing the decent thing is huge!

Anonymous said...

SuedeO, thanks very much for sharing the lawyer details. There is a goodly number of inmates here who are in the same (sinking) boat and are interested in the same info.

Thanks also for providing such a valuable (and entertaining) service to us inmates - it's much appreciated.

New said...

Wow..... Is it that bad at HCT! In fact, I am assistant professor in engineering working in the USA,and I just got an offer from HCT.

New said...

Please advise, as I am in the process of doing life-changing plans

Bubba said...

Run, don't walk, away screaming. You think that the decisions that you're making now are life-changing? Go ahead and accept their "offer"...then you'll also be making a career-changing decision.

Plus, after they cut you loose, anybody looking at your resume in the future will wonder what's wrong with you because ONLY the truly desperate go to work for those career-ruining imbeciles.

You've been warned.

New said...

Wow..... , Thank you for the advise. So is it true that this place does reqiire professors be on campus 8-5 Sunday- Thursday? And do not respect professors, and there is no respect to faculty members? So no consideration for Ph.D holders? And is it "University" or semi- University? Or its only collage? If a professor will do 20 hrs a week teaching, and spend there 8 hours a day, hiw will he work on his research and get promoted to an Associate and Full prof? Please describe your pointe of view and if ithers would like to contribute to give me an advice, its appreciated

Bubba said...

O.K., then. On second thought, go ahead and accept their offer. You only live life once, right? You seem to be familiar with their modus operandi, but want ME to explain myself.

Join them and then have THEM explain THEMSELVES. They seem to have more than enough time for that silliness.

You've been encouraged.

Anonymous said...

You may be 'New', but are you 'Stupid' too? Do you want to add 'gullible fool' to your list of attributes?

Go on, go ahead!

Suede Oasis said...

My best wishes to all those unfortunate HCT prisoners who have contacted me asking for the lawyers' details. May all your endeavours be well rewarded!

Meanwhile, my latest viewing stats seem to point to a GREAT deal of interest from the UAE:

Entry Pageviews
United States 235
United Arab Emirates 234
United Kingdom 101

So come on you disgruntled HCT faculty - shoot the bastards down!

New said...

I receive everything but answers to my questions!! "Are you stupid"..... Is not an answer.note that, I am not living your situation, I have never worked there and want details to help me decide the next step, logic thinkers detail their decision, not only answer with, go ahead and accept their offer....etc.!! Please help me with details that led you to judge this place as "gullible fool". Thanks

Bubba said...

@New: Anon is obviously too close to the pain. I'm not, but won't spend time reliving the pain. Suffice it to say that it people go off on you like that, then you're either dealing with insane people or once sane people who, for whatever reason are no longer so.

In either case, is that where you want to move halfway around the world to work at?

Food for thought.

Good Luck in any regard.

New said...

Bubba, im doing very well here in the USA, it was just an idea and I proceeded as a new life experience. However, if it is that bad, I may just change my plans. I was hoping for some details about how a a working day would feel like at HCT, income, research invironment. In addition to my academics I have more than 10 years of industrial experience at two of the most competitive companies like GE, so how would that be considered? Nit only at HCT but in Any university in UAE. Thanks

Bubba said...

New: Here's the problem with your questions...all valid. The wreck of which we speak has been in flux for more than seven years, since I left it. NO ONE can give you a definitive answer because the "management" doesn't know from week to week what might change. It's been a mess and until it's completely staffed by Filipinos and Indians making next to nothing will THEY know!

New said...

I see.Thanks Bubba.

Anonymous said...

I think Bubba and certain others are trying to point out that HCT is far from the ideal destination for a proper educator who has principles. On the other hand, if you are just keen to get a regular pay check, it should be OK. But even then, it might not.

Anonymous said...

Everybody should visit this site and learn more about HCT. Everything stated is true. Enjoy it.


https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/HCT-Reviews-E384204.htm?sort.sortType=RD&sort.ascending=false&filter.employmentStatus=REGULAR&filter.employmentStatus=PART_TIME&filter.employmentStatus=UNKNOWN

Anonymous said...

Example of one comment can be found in Glassdoor site


Pros
1. Nice students even if majority are academically weak and lazy.
2. Excellent education benefit for two kids of 120,000 AED.
3. Lots of professional developments.
4. Good contact to educational technology.
Cons
1. The mass majority of students are very spoiled and don't care.
2. The university treats the students as if they where in the kindergarten. Considering their characters, this is understandable.
3. They don’t provide health insurance if your kid is over 18 years old. An average decent health insurance will cost you around 4000 AED annually.
4. No difference between master and doctorate holders in pay scale or ranks. However, they promised faculty ranking by September, 2017. We will hold our breath.
5. Newer employees are offered less benefits and salaries to existing employees. For example, a master holder who has been with them for over 15 years, gets pay more than recently hired with doctorate.
6. Salaries range between 12,000AED and 23,500AED without housing/ticketing benefits.
7. They provide 60,000AED housing benefits. Before the new local administration, the housing benefits was 120,000AED. Nevertheless, this is enough if you want to live in one bed room apartment or Studio without kids.
8. Anyone joining HCT will remain at their initial salary (no increments). Except for a ridiculous and pathetic yearly bonus between 2000 to 4000 AED. On the other hand, the upper management gets at least 10,000 AED.
9. HCT salaries and benefits are the lowest among public universities and similar to private universities.
10. The faculty teaching schedule is a nightmare. You can have a class at 8:00-10:00 am and an evening class at 6:00-8:00 pm. Worse, you must be present in campus.
11. You are expected to teach 20 hours a week. Much more than other universities in UAE.
12. As a faculty member, you are expected to advise students. But worse, you are expected to register these students for classes. Students services department did this job in the past. But, since the Emiratization, they pushed this duties to faculty members so they can work less.
13. The want faculty to do research in spite of the 20 hours teaching load. They suggest to do research at your own time.
14. You must put 40 hours a week. If your are 5 minutes short, then expect an email from HR asking you for a justification.
15. You must teach one course in the summer. However, this is optional in other public universities.
16. High turn over, they keep posting job ads for faculty.

Remember that living in the UAE is now extremely expensive. Ignore the flashy Dubai ads.. Because you won't be able to afford, or have time to relish in any of the activities you see. To live decently, HCT must pay up to 150,000AED for accommodation, and increase basic salaries.
Show Less
Advice to Management
Better faculty retention. Less teaching load. Better basic salary and benefits.

Anonymous said...

To @new, I am faculty in a city campus and for more than 10 years and the last posting here is very accurate. I have family and trying to keep my mental health stable due to the horrible working conditions now in evidence across the system of colleges. No it IS NOT a university, it is a babysitting service for young ladies and mens who need another 5 to 10 years after college study before they can even be independent. The wholesale emiratization of the organization has meant that the usual administration work done by student / academic services has been pushed down to faculty on top of our standard 20 + teaching hours within our 40 hours mandatory on campus presence. Punishments and emotional intimidation are rampant due to the massive levels of incompetence and outright corruption in the numerous layers of bureaucracy that have been installed over the past 12 - 18 months. I cannot explain this situation in any more detail since the degradation of lives and surreal atmosphere has given rise to that kind of numbed feeling when you realize how significantly you have been duped by this organization. I was aware of needing to leave my morals / ethics in my home country upon arriving here and simply taking the money as part of the exchange. I had no interest in the professional ME experience entry on my resume only the monthly cash. However, the past 2 years have been my worst health crisis ever and my drinking excuses are only getting worse. I am unable to leave for at least another two years because of poor credit card management as well as schooling for kids. I am angry and drunk. Too drunk to give a fuck quite honestly. Yet it was the devils deal, so its your call @new.

Sadiq said...

You said it, Anon above!

And there are hundreds who will agree with you, too!

Anonymous said...

Come on….HCT is awesome. The lessons in how to perform as an educator are priceless. I had no idea that a well-developed rubric and a 2nd marker are a waste of time for grading student presentations. Luckily a supervisor filled me in on the secret – I needed to get the other students to grade their colleagues work as my assessment lacked reliability and validity. I also never understood how a student’s work could change from barely comprehensible and conceptually weak to well researched and well written almost overnight. Stupidly I thought this was some form of ghost writing. Not so. The student was passionate about the subject and their work reflected this. I hadn’t done a good job of motivating them for the earlier assessments. I had thought that research was a patient and time consuming process with few shortcuts. Wrong again! Apparently this can be done in the 1-2 hours a week that are not spent teaching, marking, consulting, advising etc….I also didn’t need to worry about producing work for peer reviewed publications as I could pay for my work to be published as a book. Apparently this is a major achievement that I should respect. My supervisor had one of these publications and it out-ranked my insignificant journal publications. Furthermore, I should be grateful to my supervisor and should recognise this by putting her name first on all my publications as I wouldn’t succeed without her valued input. Stupidly, I ignored this advice which was in no way related to my supervisor allocating me five new preps for three semesters in a row. I should also feel grateful that I received any end of service gratuity (woefully miscalculated as it now appears). The fact that this took an extra week after my contract had finished for my cheque to materialise, and I needed to pay a significant amount for changes to my flights, was all part of the HCT experience.

Anonymous said...

Awesome!

Now let me guess just who this talented supervisor could be...

Is her first name Grace by any chance?!

Anonymous said...

Grace, Monica, Lorelei, Leisa, Imre.....they all sang from the same hymn sheet. You were wrong, the students were right. No bad news could permeate upwards and besmirch their name - coverups were the name of the game. TQM processes are appropriate for academic work....and its all your fault!!

Seriously, don't go and work there if you have the slightest little bit of self-respect. You will think, as many did, that all this stuff that has been said is too outrageous to be true, and that the multitude of posters who are so scathing of the institution must be part of the problem. You will think that you have a thick skin, and that you can take it. All these other people are losers. In the end, you will admit that they were right and you will regret your decision to disregard the mounting evidence that this place sucks.

People used to leave HCT for two reasons. (1) Their money bucket was full; or (2) Their bullshit bucket was full. Nowadays the bullshit bucket fills so quick that there is no chance to fill up the money bucket. In other words an HCT posting has lost any attraction it once had.

Bubba said...

I, also, operated off of the "two-bucket" theory at HCT and did it for five years. Even though the shit I was experiencing seemed endless, my Bullshit bucket never filled...even when I was called "onto the carpet" in front of Kamali in his office and walked away with my job (The only one in History to pull that off!) over a provable lie by one of my little princesses.

Still, no perceptible rise in the Bullshit bucket...until the infamous massacre at ADWC in June 2010 when I and 10 others were summarily fired through paranoia...that six-month extra pay made my Money bucket "runneth over". And, I more than happy to leave that once-idyllic, but now wretched employer, gladly took my leave.

But, I still couldn't figure out why my Shit bucket remained at less than full. Weird!

Then, as I took my family out to the AD Airport for our final reward, I discarded the bucket out the taxi window towards the Khalifa City "college" and noticed the hole in the bottom of the bucket.

That's when I realized that the shit we had been subjected to after Director Cook left leaving us to the ravages of Kamali, Johnson Thomas, Ms. Piggy, Jo the Ho, and Steve Munns...just to name a few was so rancid that it had eaten a hole in the bottom!

Go figure!!!

I WIN!!!

Anonymous said...

The only way to WIN at HCT is to leave NOW and on your own terms!

Go figure that one too!

Bubba said...

Yeah, but leaving NOW ISN'T on your own terms...

It's the o(w)nly reasonable thing to do!!!

Anonymous said...

What rock did you folks come crawling out from under? This is just an employer with regulations like any other. Its a job like most others and in a country like most others. Whatever self-deception has been presented here by way of 'oh poor is me' ought to be identified for what it is, delusion. Suede your rambles about contract disputes could take place in most other places in some way shape or form. The HCT doesn't have a special monopoly in this issue. Most workplaces are exploitative, corrupt and full of narcissistic, power hungry sociopaths who really should be put down like rabid dogs. Call it what it is ... change. Now get over yourselves and move on with your lives. Its too tiring listening to the groaning day after day at my college.

Bubba said...

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!!!

Journo said...

STOP PRESS! The HCT Organisation has just announced that it plans to increase faculty and other salaries by 30%, reduce teaching loads to 18 hours per week, restore the free housing and reinstate longer summer holidays. Other measures will also be taken to increase the attractiveness of working for them.

Furthermore, there are plans to increase the academic status of the organisation by implementing more robust assessment procedures and insisting on higher entry requirements. One faculty member, Alf Pirolo, stated excitedly: "This is wonderful news, and will put HCT back at th eforefront of ME colleges."

(Taken from The National)

Bubba said...

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!

Journo said...

April fool?! Not a bit of it! It's absolutely true, I promise!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, anything HCT announces even in Newspapers is unreliable. It just does not Work that way here. You have to develop a wait and see attitude and then don't hold your breath. Nothing on the HCT menu is real until it is on a plate in front of you and you have given it a thorough taste test. If there was such a report in a newspaper you need to first consider the source. Is the source named? Is a time line given? At this point HCT is trying desperately to save its reputation internationally and discourage lawsuits that are slowly building up as disgruntled present and ex employees finally get some balls. The problem is that emasculation is the effect HCT has on most, and most find it easier just to go with the flow even if it means financial loss when they leave HCT.

Anonymous said...

I have been offered teaching position by HCT in western provinces. Is lifestyle good there and are students hardworking types? I would much appreciate honest responses. Many thanks.

Bubba said...

In the western provinces, the management are highly responsive to teacher's concerns and they lock the doors after hours to keep the highly-motivated students out because HCT leadership realizes that students need rest after a grueling day of high-powered Emirati-style education...

Anonymous said...

The western region is a hard gig. I did it for a few years. These days in their great wisdom HCT HR removed the incentives to work out there. Their policy now is to try to compel employees to live in the western region. Very few want to do that. In fact, several employees who used to live out there moved back to Abu Dhabi. There is nothing really out there even compared to Al Ain and Mussafa. That region is largely undeveloped and suitable housing is difficult to find. There used to be a hardship allowance of over dh 2000 in the name of a transport allowance plus a shuttle bus was provided. The commute was 2.5 hours each way. Now all employees have to find their own way to get out there at their own expense and without the transport allowance.

There used to be a great management team out there who made the western region a fairly decent place to work in spite of the commute. The new chancellor decided to set up a corporate style management structure for HCT completely in appropriate for an academic setting. All the experienced campus directors were decommissioned and were replaced by young Emiratis who had very inadequate experience. The decent supervisors all left and the one guy left Peter Stanfield is a quirky smiling fool with poor judgement and no man-management skills. HCT desperately needs decent management out there.

The students are very bedu. It took three to four years to get students to sit on chairs in the classroom instead of on the floor. The girls would come to socialize and not study. I heard after I left classroom chaos got worse as the students lost respect for HCT and the teachers. Foundation class sizes were rediculous. 30 students in a class for some teachers.

No. Working out in the western region especially for HCT is not recommended no matter how positive they make it sound.

Bubba said...

@Anon: SHHHHHHHH...........!

We had him hooked!!!

GOD DAMMIT!!!!

Anonymous said...

HCT MZ, Ruwais - definitely not for the westerners. Maybe OK for Indians or Filipinos, but even then, maybe not.
Ignore this at your peril. Best try someplace else - anyplace else in this case.

Anonymous said...

Thats true. I've done some checking and the teachers who live out there are mostly Indian. And there is one international school in MZ. Ruwais might be a nicer place to live and there is a lot of nice new housing out there but that housing is very tightly controlled and reserved for people who work for oil and gas or the new nuclear power plant they are building out there. Peter Stanfield claims to love it out there but he is a little mad and dispite his talk I think his wife would make his life miserable if he tried to move his family out there. According to someone Peter confided in, his wife is already much less enchanted with him. I'm not surprised. He knows how to put on a good show but once you really get to know him you find out what lickspittle he is.

Anonymous said...

New contracts must be utter crap if word hasn't leaked yet!

Anonymous said...

My contract is indeed crap, so I've leaked all over it!

Poodle Pelham said...

Contracts? What contracts? HCT now issue just Agreements, which can be altered and ignored at will.

Anonymous said...

What is you dislike about the new contracts?

Anonymous said...

No, new contracts is very good, everybody like new contracts!

Anonymous said...

Everyone is like new contracts? First of all, that's false. Everyone is not like new contracts. Second, where did you study English? You are probably an Emirati working for HR or the vice chancellor himself.

Anonymous said...

I not chancellor vice!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes you is!

Anonymous said...

How can I contact you?
Thanks