UAE vows labour rights protection

Athens: Labour Minister Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash has reiterated that the UAE is committed to the protection of workers' rights, in accordance with the human rights norms laid out by international conventions. So, the UAE found warm welcome from specialised international organisations, he added.

Gobash said that the UAE is fully aware of the contribution of the contractual workers to the economic development, and in turn, the country is committed to protecting their rights to enable them to achieve maximum benefit from their stay in the country.

Gobash attended a round-table conference, which was co-chaired by the UAE as part of the activities of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which concluded yesterday in the Greek capital.

The meeting was also attended by Abdul Hadi Al Khaja, the UAE Ambassador to Greece, and the UAE's official delegation comprising Yousuf Abdullah Abdul Gani, Executive Director for Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Labour, and Colonel Rashid Sultan Al Akhdhar, Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Interior.

Later in a statement to the media, Gobash stressed the importance of the UAE's participation and co-chairing of the round table at the Forum, which was attended by Labour Ministers from 156 countries and heads of international organisations working in the field of labour and migration as well as representatives of civil society groups from across the world.

Gobash said the UAE was a key player in the forum and had actively participated in formulating policies pertaining to labour welfare, migration and economic development adopted by the forum.

He said the UAE participated fully in the discussions and decisions on improving the conditions of workers and guaranteeing their rights.

The minister said that there was evident convergence of the views of the UAE and the Swedish Labour Minister, who represented the European Union in the Forum, especially regarding the concepts of description of employment, whether contractual or temporary, as well as migration as both the ministers were against the principle of permanent migration and supported the idea of helping the migrant workers to integrate back into their communities of origin.

He said that the Global Forum on Migration and Development was fruitful and has produced positive results. It was only natural that all parties showed concern for the needs of migration to be focused and productive, sustainable and not excessive.

Gobash said that labour in the UAE contribute to the economic process, and in return receive the attention, care and keenness of the political leadership in the country.

Gobash meets IOM chief

Athens (WAM): Saqr Ghobash met on Thursday with the Director General of International Organization for Migration (IOM) William Swing, who praised the active participation of UAE in the Global Forum on Migration and Development, 2009 in Athens.

During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the Ministry of Labor and the International Organization for Migration based in Geneva and explored the ways to benefit from the expertise available on both sides on managing the labor market conditions. They also discussed the programmes of the IOM aimed at the empowerment and rehabilitation of workers and protection of their rights.

Gobash reviewed with the IOM chief, the achievements of the Ministry of Labor to improve the conditions of Asian labor in the UAE.

William Swing praised UAE's efforts to improve conditions of expatriate labour. He said that the UAE pioneered in the region the unique initiative for building a sample model to provide better living conditions for foreign workers.

He praised the wise policy of the UAE leadership in systematising the conditions of foreign workers and facilitating their movement as well as offering them appropriate job opportunities under good living conditions.

He also praised the policy of the Ministry of Labor to implement the sample model project and described it as the basis for the mechanism to solve the problems of contractual employment and migration.

The meeting was attended by Abdullah Abdul Ghani Yusuf, Executive Director for Policy and Strategy in the Ministry of Labor and Colonel Rashid Sultan Al Akhdhar Director of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Iskandar Zalmay, Advisor at the Ministry of Labor for International Affairs.

Migration: Minister discusses cooperation with IOM

Saqr Ghobash Saeed Gobash, the UAE Minister of Labour, on Thursday met with Director General of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) William Swing, who praised the active participation of the UAE in the Global Forum on Migration and Development 2009 in Athens.

During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and IOM and explored ways to benefit from the expertise available on both sides on managing the labour market. They also discussed the empowerment and rehabilitation of workers and protection of their rights.