A total of 3.11 million foreign workers from 202 countries are employed by approximately 260,000 establishments in the UAE, according to the Labour Report 2007 released by the Ministry of Labour.
The ministry released the detailed report yesterday to highlight labour rights and meet challenges being posed by the economic boom and demographic structure changes.
As a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Arab Labour Organisation, and other labour-focused multilateral organisations, the UAE deals transparently and objectively with all its international labour obligations, and views rational internal and external criticism as constructive and helpful, said the report.
It outlines and clarifies specific measures that have been undertaken and that are being undertaken by the UAE government since as with any complex society, new challenges and new problems are constantly arising, especially as demographic change. As such, the report is both a progress assessment and a blueprint for ongoing action.
The report provides a synopsis of the positive changes that UAE leaders are taking to achieve goals and objectives designed to manage, enhance, and broaden the laws and policies needed to provide a countrywide system of labour rights. By harmonising all of these components, the UAE intends to be a model for all countries, in the Gulf region and beyond, it said.
Record growth rate
As the UAE acknowledges there is much more to be done to expand the capacity to enforce labour laws and fully protect the rights of workers in the country, the report suggested that the current progress needs to be viewed in context and scope by all who have an interest in the issue.
For example, expatriate labour in the UAE is exceptionally large and culturally diverse, accounting for more than 90 per cent of the private sector labour force. Meeting the challenges presented by these numbers takes diligence and time, as well as fiscal and management resources.
The UAE is experiencing an unprecedented rate of growth. In fact the current construction boom taking place surpassed that of any other country in the Arabian Gulf region.
Also, the UAE has made great progress legislating and enforcing the rights of its labour force.
These rights affect every aspect of workers' lives and have been carefully researched and measured against international standards, said the report.
Governance: Legislative initiatives
The UAE has been an active participant in several international forums dealing with the latest and most widely accepted labour rights provisions, including the 95th session of the international labour conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2006, and the high level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council held in Geneva from July 3-5, 2006.
Other legislative initiatives addressed specific situations such as civil transactions (federal law No 51 of 1985), camel races (federal law No 15 of 2005) and human trafficking (federal law No 51 of 2006). These laws underscore the extent to which the UAE has responded to new challenges as they have arisen.
The UAE spares no effort to amend its legislation to accommodate evolving labour right guarantees for legal workers.
It established a collective labour dispute committee in each labour jurisdiction.
The Ministry of Labour has welcomed and encouraged public debate on the draft law and posted its content on its website for this purpose.
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