UAE submits new labor market legislation to Human Rights Council

Dubai: The UAE submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) its legislative ecosystem that regulates the local labor market, provides social security and ensures decent working conditions for Emirati workers in line with the Paris Principles.

Several UAE federal and local government entities, as well as civil society organizations, formed the country’s delegation to present its fourth human rights report at the Human Rights Conference in Geneva.

Shayma Al Awadhi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Communications and International Relations at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), said: “Over the past few years, the UAE has updated legislation governing private sector employment relationships. Developed and implemented for workers in the UAE introduced a transparent contracting policy which puts recruitment agencies in charge of informing foreign workers of their employment rights, terms and conditions before they leave their country.”

She added: “It is also prohibited to charge these workers any recruitment fees and to deal with any unlicensed recruitment agencies or agents in the UAE or abroad.

“The new labor legislation includes clear legal provisions that define and prohibit discrimination on all grounds defined in international conventions. The legislation also prohibits any form of violence against workers as well as sexual harassment in the workplace; empowering them to terminate employment immediately if they are violated rights without prejudice to their rights.

“The MoHRE provides multiple avenues for workers at all professional levels to submit legal inquiries and receive their complaints in more than 20 languages. Support is provided to workers while conciliation with employers is used to resolve disputes amicably; if such settlement cannot be reached, They will be referred to the judiciary.”

Al Awadhi pointed to the UAE’s “advanced technological infrastructure, which facilitates the development of online and smart systems for inspection and active monitoring.”

“This includes a system to identify risk factors, through which high-risk businesses are prioritized for inspection, and the Wage Protection System (WPS) to support the financial stability and mental health of workers and their families,” she said.

“The MoHRE is responsible for checking that private sector establishments and their workers’ accommodation meet the conditions set out in legislation to guarantee workers’ rights to decent working conditions and housing.

“We have also introduced an unemployment insurance scheme that covers UAE workers – citizens and residents. The scheme provides temporary financial income to the unemployed on a case-by-case basis.

“Another insurance system has also been instituted for workers’ unpaid wages, including late fees and workers’ compensation.”