Dubai: More than 1,000 expat workers have completed the Workforce Educational and Awareness programme in Dubai since its launch this June.
The programme, which aims to educate expat employees in the emirate of the country’s laws and inform them of their rights and duties, was created by a team from four government departments, including the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs (PCLA) in Dubai.
Maj Gen Obaid Muhair Bin Surour, chairman of PCLA, said, “We aim to create a healthy work environment in Dubai, one which protects the workers’ rights and meets global standards,” adding that the institute will ensure that workers in the emirate are not subjected to any kind of exploitation.
“By knowing the country’s laws and what rights they have, employees can ensure they don’t fall prey to exploitation,” he said.
The PCLA signed a memorandum of Understanding with the Middle East Training and Development Institution to carry out the training.
The four government departments involved are Dubai Courts, Dubai Police, PCLA and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
Dr Ahmad Al Hashemi, director of the Middle East Centre for Training and Development, said they conducted a survey on 1,000 attendees after the completion of approximately 13 training sessions conducted in three languages — English, Arabic, and Urdu.
The initial results of the survey show that around 90.57 per cent of the workers found the sessions useful.
Dr Al Hashemi added that statistics showed that 87.57 per cent of these workers have expressed their intention of communicating their positive experiences of the training sessions to other colleagues, as well as recommended the continuation of these sessions to benefit others.
The survey also showed that 85 per cent of the workers expressed dramatic improvements in their level of awareness and knowledge in relation to their rights and responsibilities.
Dr Al Hashemi said that 83 per cent of workers said they have gained a better understanding of the importance of health and safety at the workplace.
