A gas station in Dubai has fired one of its workers for accepting a 10-dirham ($2.72) tip. The UAE newspaper "Gulf News" reports on the sacking of 24-year-old Santosh Kumar, who was terminated in his first week of work for the Dubai-based Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, which operates petrol stations under the name of Emarat. Mr Kumar said he was strip searched by his supervisor, who found the 10-dirham note in his socks. Emarat officials told Gulf News its employees are not permitted to accept tips. "The corporation goes to great lengths to ensure that our staff are treated with love and care," the official said.

Fuel pump attendants say strip searches are a regular feature at Emarat. Staff are even frisked on the bus back to their living quarters. Mr Kumar says: "I was subjected to this humiliation on my first day at work. My supervisor…gestured me to take off my pants. I was near to tears…he ordered me to jump five times to shake off any coins I might be hiding." The practice of strip-searching is illegal in the UAE; lawyers say it violates human rights. Emarat attendants get a monthly salary of 1,000 dirhams ($272) for working long hours, often in temperatures over 40°C. Many motorists are outraged at this policy and want workers to keep their tips.