New labour policies to focus on Emiratisation and rights

Dubai: A host of policies and rules have been adopted by the Ministry of Labour to enhance the participation of local workforce and to boost Emiratisation.

The policies includes the establishment of Khalifa Fund for Emiratisation, the new classification of Companies and establishment based on the number of Emirati employees they have.

Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour said the local labour market must function in a way to attract qualified Emiratis and urged establishments to facilitate the employment of local work force whenever possible.

"The ministry will introduce additional policies, means and incentives to control and streamline the performance of the market and achieve the national objective in boosting Emiratisation in the UAE," he said.

Gobash was speaking at a meeting with media representative which he assigned to explain new rules adopted by the ministry.

Qualified people

Gobash said the law offers protection for all workers in the UAE regardless of their nationalities.

"In order to attract qualified people to work in the country the ministry changed the sponsorship system to allow more flexibility for workers and employees in the country. Foreign workers are able to change their jobs after completing two years with their sponsors," he said.

He said the ministry also introduced the internal labour permits and the classification of establishments operating in the country.

"Such new rules will offer protection to the workers and the employers," he said.

Gobash said wages protection system (WPS), Ratibi, in which 162,000 establishments out of 286,000 registered by the ministry are taking part, has proven very successful in securing the payment of salaries of workers in the country. The remaining 144,000 will subscribe to the system soon.

He said the ministry has placed special emphasis on enhancing the quality of labour accommodation in the country a policy that paid off very well in promoting the image of the country.

"We have more than two million workers who are receiving their salaries through the WPS," said Gobash.

In the past, he said salaries were delayed for a number of months before the matter came to the ministry's attention when labourers lost patience.

He said with the introduction of WPS, workers feel safer.

Priority

"I will never compromise on the issue of workers' salaries. This issue tops my priority and the priority of the ministry. It is basic worker's right and I will not allow any one to play with workers salaries," he said.

Gobash said creating a safe, monitored, well organised labour market will help in boosting the country's economy and stability.

He said a number of companies have been either blocked or prosecuted because they did not stick to the WPS. Adding that labour's protest against delaying of salary payment were reduced to the minimum the last year.