Labour law amendment should see more Emiratis in private sector, minister says

Protecting workers’ rights and upholding legitimate interests of business owners are principles enshrined in Ministry of Labour tenets, said Saqr Ghobash.

ABU DHABI // Proposed amendments to the labour law will promote greater participation of Emiratis in the private sector by narrowing the gap in working conditions between the public and private sectors, said Labour Minister Saqr Ghobash.

Protecting workers’ rights and upholding legitimate interests of business owners are principles enshrined in Ministry of Labour tenets, he said, according to state news agency Wam.

Use of a new standard employment contract to ensure greater transparency will soon be mandated, he said.

“Certain international reports on labour conditions in the UAE are based on deficient information and do not reflect reality,” he said.

“Often anecdotal evidence and particular cases in which labour standards are not up to our federal standards are used to make unsubstantiated generalisations.”

Mr Ghobash also described the Tasheel service centres as a model of public-private sector partnership that has helped contribute to Emiratisation.

There are 40 licensed MoL centres employing more than 900 UAE nationals, he said, adding that these centres helped make the ministry’s services available to the public.

Regarding partnerships with other government agencies, he said the ministry had a tie-in with the judicial system, whereby labour disputes that could not be resolved amicably through arbitration by the labour office are dealt with via public prosecutors.

The ministry referred more than 390 such cases involving firms allegedly breaking the law in the first nine months of last year.

These cases included non-payment of wages for more than two months, employment breaches, labourers found working for other firms, unlawful employment and relinquishing workers without reporting it to the ministry.

The ministry administers a market of more than four million workers and 300,000 registered business establishments, with a staff of about 1,200 employees.

Mr Ghobash added: “The private sector is clearly a key engine of economic development and, hence, a strategic partner of the ministry.

“We give utmost importance to empowering the private sector and upholding its rights and interests in the same way we act to protect workers’ rights.”