UAE issues ministerial orders to regulate labour disputes and inspect camps

Dubai: A new ministerial order in the UAE has empowered workers to submit labour complaints with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) within 30 days if an employer leaves wages unpaid illegally.

The MOHRE said in a statement that both, the worker and employer, can raise a complaint with the ministry if any side commits a labour violation. “The individual labour complaint should reach a settlement within 14 days of presenting the complaint. The case should be referred to the courts if the settlement failed,” said the ministry in a statement.

New Labour Law decree — Ministerial Resolution No (47) of 2022 Regarding the Settlement of Labour Disputes and Complaints Procedures — deals with labour disputes, cancellation of work permits, labour bans and details of how employers and employees can appeal against a verdict.

The ministry shall take all necessary action to settle individual labour complaints, but if an amicable settlement is not reached, the dispute will be referred to the concerned Labour court, 14 days after presentation of the labour complaint.

‘Request for temporary work permit’

“The worker can’t work for a new employer without permission from the ministry. The worker should request to cancel the original work permit within a period not exceeding 14 days after the judgement has been passed in the case. However, the worker can request for a temporary work permit to work for a new employer during hearings,” said the ministry in a statement. A work permit can be cancelled after six months of referring the complaint to the courts if the worker had been suspended from work.

According to the ministry, the employer should lodge a complaint against the worker who had been absent from work for seven consecutive days without a valid reason. According to the ministerial order, the employer should raise a complaint if the worker failed to show up for work for seven days — if the employer does not know the location of the worker and has failed to communicate with the worker. “The complaint can be cancelled based on a request from any party in the labour contract. If the worker proves that he or she was working or that he or she was on vacation, then the complaint should be cancelled.”

Inspecting private sector entities and labour camps

The second ministerial order identifies the authority of the work inspector and inspection regulation of private sector entities and labour camps.

MOHRE is authorised to check the entities’ obligation to the regulation through approved monitoring mechanisms in the ministry and following complaints from the community members as well as checking the advertisement campaign by the entity online and on social media or by any means used by the entity to promote its business.