Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has set out an action plan to bolster workers' rights in the emirate and improve their terms and conditions.
He issued a law to reorganise the Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority (SLSDA), a body he established in 2014.
The changes, reported by state news agency Wam on Monday, will include the appointment of a president responsible for shaping the strategies of the organisation and ensuring employers in the private sector meet labour standards.
The legislation lays out the authority's priorities.
These include "ensuring workers' rights and looking after the employers' interests", as well as "striving to achieve a decent life for workers and improve the terms and conditions of their life and work".
The authority's goals also include "strengthening working relationships between employers and employees and motivating them to implement labour legislation and standards" and "ensuring the availability of the required standards in accommodations following best practices".
The SLSDA president, to be appointed by decree, will be granted the power to suggest general policy, put in place strategic plans and propose draft laws which they will present to Sharjah Executive Council.
They will also be expected to supervise the workflow of the authority, issue administrative decisions and follow up on their implementation, prepare the authority's annual budget and submit periodic reports on the authority's work.
The Emirates has strict laws in place to support employees, including those on lower incomes.
In accordance with UAE law, all establishments with more than 50 workers paid less than Dh2,000 ($544) in monthly wages, must provide each worker with at least three square metres of space in a well-lit, air-conditioned and well-ventilated accommodation.
The Sharjah labour authority oversees programmes, projects, training courses and activities to support workers.
It monitors Sharjah businesses’ adherence to labour legislations in co-ordination with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and other relevant public departments.
Since its establishment, the authority has organised several educational, medical and recreational programmes with help from other departments in the emirate and the country.
In 2018 it launched its annual sports tournament for workers, providing them with an opportunity to win up to Dh250,000 in prizes in games of football, basketball, cricket, volleyball and hockey.
Last year, it opened a recreational park in Al Sajaa industrial area for more than 100,000 workers.
Spanning 15,000 square metres, the park includes two small cricket pitches, two multipurpose fields, walking paths, green spaces, mosques, shops, cafes, mail boxes and several service rooms.
During the same year, Sharjah labour accommodations were provided with 35 libraries that include books in different languages, as part of the ‘Library in every labour camp’ campaign.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
