Abu Dhabi: Disputes between workers and their employers, complaints and claims of entitlements were settled at workers’ accommodation through a mobile court here, a brainchild of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
A group of officials visited workers’ accommodation in Musaffah, on the outskirts of the capital, in the court’s mobile bus and settled complaints and disputes on the spot.
The officials followed all legal procedures to resolve the disputes.
The move helped workers claim their delayed payments and labour rights, the department said.
Since the introduction of the Hindi language in the court last February, workers have been able to lodge complaints in their mother tongue.
The complaints concern delayed wages, end-of-service entitlements, bonuses, compensations for arbitrary layoffs, notice periods and annual leaves, in addition to claims for air tickets and the return of their passports.
The Abu Dhabi Labour Court has affirmed its keenness to expedite the disposition of labour cases and facilitate access to their entitlements, as directed by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
A clear and specific mechanism has been adopted in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the fast resolution of such labour disputes without any delay, a court statement said.
“This step comes in line with the UAE’s keenness to safeguard and protect the rights of vulnerable workers and to ensure their protection under the rule of law, through the application of a sophisticated judicial system capable of meeting all requirements and ensuring the settlement of disputes in record time.
“It is worth mentioning that in order to resolve the cases filed against the defendant company, the court moved to the labour camp using the mobile bus court, thus facilitating their access to justice without the need to approach the court.
"All legal procedures have been taken on site as necessary to ensure that workers receive their dues according to law. In other words, cases have been filed, heard and adjudicated on the camps,” the court said.
The court judgements were rendered with immediate enforcement, ensuring a speedy execution so that workers will obtain their financial dues in record time. Following the adjudication of cases and the issuance of judicial judgements, each worker’s entitlements will be calculated on a case-to-case basis, the court said.
But it didn’t mention how many such cases were handled and at how many camps.
The Abu Dhabi court is currently carrying out an awareness campaign also to educate workers about the UAE’s labour laws and workers’ rights, and aims to reach 250,000 workers across the emirate as part of the Year of Tolerance.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department recently aimed at educating 22,000 workers at a workshop at the Workers’ City in Musaffah. The lectures were delivered in Arabic, English and Urdu and were handed out pamphlets.
