Dubai: The UAE Federal Labour Law protects workers rights and helps prevent any injustice or discrimination by their employers.
The laws cover a range of issues from workplace injuries and compensation and end-of-service benefits.
If a worker dies or is injured during working hours, or if the worker suffers from occupational diseases, he will be due for compensation by their employers.
According to the labour law, if the employee sustained injuries during work or suffered from diseases due to his or her work, the employer has to pay for all the treatment expenses at government or private hospital or clinics, until the worker is nursed back to health.
In case of the worker's disability, the treatment must last till the worker's health is better. The employer has to pay for total hospital cost, surgery, X-rays, all medical tests, medicine. If there is a need for an organ transplant, the employer must bear the cost.
The employer must also bear the compensation for the injured worker who becomes disabled due to work injuries.
The labour law sets conditions that the employer should provide his injured worker with financial aid, equal to his or her full salary throughout the period of treatment, or for a period of six months, whichever is shorter, if the workers' injuries prevents him or her from resuming work.
If the treatment lasts for more than six months, the financial aid will be reduced to half for another six months, or until the worker heals or until he or she is proved to be disabled.
If the workplace injury or disease has led to the death of the worker, his family members will be entitled to a compensation equal to his or her basic salary for 24 months. The compensation value will be calculated according to the last salary drawn by the worker before his or her death.
Beneficiaries
The worker's death compensation will be distributed to the widow or widower, to the sons who are below 17 years of age and those who are regularly attending schools and have not completed 24 years of age, or those who mentally or physically are incapable to earn their living. The compensation also will be distributed to the expired worker's unmarried daughters or to the parents or to brothers and sisters.
On the other hand the labour law has determined that the employer is not obliged to pay compensation to the worker for work injuries, disability or death if the investigations by the competent authorities prove that the worker has deliberately caused injury to himself with the intention to commit suicide, or to obtain compensation or sick leave, or if he or she was at the time of accident under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Useful information
Rights: Safety instructions
- In order to avoid work injuries, the employee must comply with the safety and security instructions at work.
- The employer must provide suitable equipment, clothing and other items which will protect the workers from risk, danger and exposure.
- The workers should be protected from fire and hazards which may result from the use of machinery and other equipment.
- The work site must be fully equipped with first-aid boxes.
- Workers who face the risk of suffering from any occupational diseases must be submitted to periodical medical examination.
- Stress, tiredness or exhaustion as a result of work will be considered as work injuries if it caused the death of the worker at the workplace, or if the worker's stress or tiredness has occurred because of bearing additional duties required by the work environment.
- If the worker's death outside the work place is directly connected to something which happened at work, the worker will be due for compensation.
- Employer shall put on show in a prominent place at the work site detailed instructions in Arabic, English or any language that is understood by the employees, regarding the safety procedures. The work place should be properly lit, the workers should have access to rest rooms, and drinking water.
- Safe means of transport must be provided to workers from and to the workplace.
