UAE | Housing & Property

Abu Dhabi to spend Dh2.5b on high-quality housing for workers

The government of Abu Dhabi plans to spend Dh2.5 billion toward building high-quality housing units to accommodate up to 180,000 workers, said the Executive Council in its latest policy agenda.

  • By Himendra Mohan Kumar, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:03 August 6, 2007
  • Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: The government of Abu Dhabi plans to spend Dh2.5 billion toward building high-quality housing units to accommodate up to 180,000 workers, said the Executive Council in its latest policy agenda.

"The government of the emirate has taken proactive steps to counter problems faced by some expatriate workers in relation to accommodation, such as overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of individual privacy, lack of communal space, and lack of access to recreational facilities," said the document containing the policy agenda for 2007-08.

"Recognising that these issues substantially impact the quality of life, health and sense of dignity of those affected, the government has supported the development of dedicated, low cost worker residences that meet or exceed international benchmarks for worker accommodation, including minimum living and communal space, leisure facilities, hygiene and safety," stated the agenda.

Labour management

"The emirate of Abu Dhabi aims to address labour management issues in a manner that ensures adequate protection for UAE nationals and foreign members of its working population," it added.

Furthermore, the Executive Council said the government will continue to proactively contribute to the legislative and policy framework at the federal level for all matters relating to labour strategy.

"Given the important role of enforcement in ensuring compliance with individual labour contracts, as well as the implementation of court rulings against employers found to have broken the law, the emirate of Abu Dhabi and its institutions will work with the federal Ministry of Labour to strengthen enforcement capabilities at both the federal and on the emirate's level," said the document.

In addition, Abu Dhabi is studying mechanisms to combat exploitation by some recruitment agencies operating outside of the UAE, which recruit workers on the basis of salary and benefit terms that do not correspond to those actually on offer by the domestic employer in the UAE.

The emirate aims to work with the Ministry of Labour to regulate such agencies [possibly via a system of licensing and inspection] and forcing them to abide by a strict code of conduct.

In addition, the document said although a vast majority of foreign labourers working in Abu Dhabi provide their services and receive their agreed compensation and benefits without incident, "cases of non-payment or failure of employers to completely fulfil the terms of individual labour contracts continue to be a concern."

"The emirate is studying methods of working with the Ministry of Labour to centralise critical aspects of labour management ... including payment of salaries," the policy document stated.

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