‘Know Your Rights’ event held at Abu Dhabi labour camp
Launch of second phase of campaign to educate workers
The second phase of a campaign to educate UAE workers about their employment rights launched in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
It follows the first phase of the ‘Know Your Rights’ initiative, which launched in Dubai in February.
Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, launched the second phase before 400 workers at the ICAD labour camp in Abu Dhabi.
“Through our campaign, we seek to educate labourers about the newly launched decrees which took effect earlier this year, as well as inform them about their rights and obligations towards the employer,” he said.
“Moreover, aside from ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign, both employers and labourers will also be notified about labour rights duties towards each other through different activities and events that shall commence at different labour camps or working sites throughout the year to positively reach and maintain a stable labour market.
“The UAE is committed to providing all means of protection to workers’ rights while ensuring employers’ interests are being met, therefore the government approved the new decrees which aim to promote a balanced and productive working relationship between both ends that had been bonded by a unified standard labour contracts.”
Ghobash urged the inspectors to stay alert towards any inquiries issued by any of the workers, according to the UAE state news agency WAM. Labour camps across the country are likely to see similar visits by the inspection teams, it was reported.
Booklets have been prepared with legal guidelines to educate workers about their rights and obligations, covering the period before and after arriving in the country, as well as specific instructions about how to move to a new employer.
