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Dubai: The Dubai Police Human Rights Department celebrated International Labour Day on May 1 by organising a symposium on the rights and duties of labourers.
Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commandant General of Dubai Police, inaugurated the symposium and said the UAE has legislation, laws and agreements that guarantee the rights of labourers regarding salaries, working hours, suitable accommodation, medical treatment as well as compensations for work injuries, deaths and to send the body home in case of death.
He said these laws and legislation have organised the labour market. In addition, there are committees formed from ministries and organisations to find organisational procedures and to follow up labour issues, including complaints, inspections of worker accommodation, labourer's demands and efforts to fulfil these if they were legitimate.
Major General Al Maz-eina said there are also labour courts to look into labour cases.
"The country has also signed many agreements and Memoranda of Understanding with the countries that export labourers on the regional level to ensure their rights while they are in the country," he said.
Dr Ibtisam Al Kitbi of the Political Sciences Department of UAE University, spoke on the rights of foreign labourers and said they form more than 90 per cent of the workers in the private sector.
Ministry report
She said the report of the Ministry of Labour published on April 26 mentioned that there are more than three million expats working for 260,000 companies.
Dr Ibtisam said the huge number of labourers requires financial, administrative and security resources to face the challenges created by them.
She said the country is facing continuous pressure to legislate the freedom of labour organisations and group negotiations on working conditions. The labour strikes and international reports point to the idea of labour unions, which requires a review of the legal framework.
"The UAE is facing an ill-natured attack and we, ourselves, could be the reason for it unintentionally. If we do not take precautions from it in the future, the consequences will be big. One of the most dangerous pressures is the demand for naturalisation of lab-ourers," she said.
Humaid Bin Deemas, Undersecretary of Labour, said the UAE has witnessed noticeable development in legislation related to labourers.
Dr Ahmad Al Kubaisi, a prominent Islamic scholar, spoke on the rights and duties of labourers from Islamic perspective. He said the UAE pays close attention to human beings regardless of colour, religion or sex.
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