Dubai: The cost of foreign workers to the UAE economy will be discussed today at a workshop on wages and other expenses to be held at The Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai.
The workshop, the first of its kind to be conducted in the country, is being organised by the Dubai Economic Council (DEC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour. Participants representing different economic sectors in the country will convene to find ways of modernising labour policies.
The deliberations will focus on the outcome of a micro-analysis of wages and wage determination in the UAE conducted by the Economic Policy and Research Centre at the DEC.
The participants will discuss the components of labour costs other than salaries and allowances and the impact of immigration policies on the strategic development of the UAE. A session will focus on macro-economic determinants.
A case study on productivity in Abu Dhabi will be discussed in the workshop that will conclude with an open discussion.
Saqr Gobash, Minister of Labour, and Juma Al Majid, Chairman of the DEC, will start the workshop with their notes about the reasons behind the study and the need to modernise labour policies.
Policy formulation
Hani Al Hameli, Secretary-General of the DEC, said the workshop is meant to contribute to the development of labour policies and to consolidate the country's investment environment. Since its inception in 2003, the DEC has focused on ways to develop legislation related to labourers and to encourage investments in the UAE.
He said the UAE has become an attractive place for qualified and specialised workers from all over the world. "There is a need to develop a balanced labour strategy to cater to the needs of businesses and protect the rights of workers. The new approach is aimed at pushing the local economy to achieve national development goals," he said.
Al Hameli said the workshop would facilitate the exchange of views between policymakers and representatives of businesses in order to come up with the proper legislative framework for labour policies.
Yousuf Abdul Gani, Executive Director of Policies and Strategies at the Ministry of Labour, acknowledged that the workshop is important in the context of deciding the development of rules and laws that govern the market.
"Meeting with business leaders is crucial at this point of time for the ministry as we are planning to review our labour laws and develop them further. We need to get the answer to the question: what are the true elements that form the cost of labour in the UAE and how to distribute it between employers and the government. "It is a brainstorm session and the ministry will study carefully the deliberations before introducing changes to the law," Abdul Gani said.
