Rights of the immigrant workers

The UAE has re-evaluated every aspect of working in the country from recruitment to housing, ensuring that all immigrant workers are treated respectfully and able to report instances of mistreatment easily. Charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal in the UAE. The confiscation of workers' passports is prohibited, and workers do not require their employer's permission to leave the country. Other reforms for immigrant workers include:

• implementing a new standard employment contract which is mandatory to finalise the employment procedures for workers coming from outside and those residing in the UAE.
• ratifying nine conventions of International Labour Organization's related to the rights of workers
• setting out new regulations that enable workers to move freely between employers
• holding awareness campaigns to inform workers about their rights and duties
• enforcing the wages protection system to ensure employees are paid in full and on time
• introducing a new insurance system to protect the benefits and rights of the private sector employees and domestic helpers
• banning the employment of children below the age of 15
• introducing a new domestic law which establishes the principle of informed consent, ensuring that workers are aware of the terms of the contract, nature of work, the workplace, the remuneration and the period of daily and weekly rest
• holding Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and working closely with countries where the labour originate from to tackle specific challenges that face the labour migrants in the Asia-Gulf migration corridors
• proposing six specific commitments for adoption within the Global Compact for Migration. These include:

• implementation of recruitment practices that are compliant with international standards
• access for all migrant workers to information on their rights and obligations prior to departure and post arrival
• ensuring safe and decent work conditions for all migrant workers, and specifically for domestic workers.

Read more on Labours’ rights and duties.

This portal covers the following topics:

• Workers’ Welfare Report 2017-2018 (PDF, 200 KB)
• Health and safety at workplace
• Protection of workers' rights
• Employment laws and regulations in the private sector
• Employment laws for the government sector.

UAE efforts to enhance work conditions

The UAE made enormous efforts to enhance the work conditions for all employees and create job opportunities. Some of these efforts are:

• In 2015, the UAE government injected AED 300 billion to foster a knowledge economy, driven by innovation to prepare the UAE for a world after oil
• It developed several strategies to diversify its national income based on a sustainable economy and to increase work opportunities
• The UAE adopted Emiratisation programmes which mandate the inclusion of Emiratis in the job sector, particularly in the private sector.