UAE is rapidly developing its infrastructure in short a span and has delivered astonishing projects such as the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa, a man-made Island, Palm Jumeirah, other huge skyscrapers, a spiral of roads and highways, resorts, and what not. it is also a regional trade hub where many trading and manufacturing companies operate featuring large labor forces. Primarily, the labor force is made up of foreign workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Egypt, and many other Asian and Middle Eastern countries. According to the data compiled by World Bank, the UAE’s labor force stands at a whooping 6498745 in 2021. To protect these thousands of laborers, the UAE has introduced several laws in its Labor Law. Adherence to these labor laws is mandatory and the UAE govt. is doing everything in its effort to implement these laws in true letter and spirit across all organizations and workplaces. It also gives the freedom to any labor to hire the best legal services uae to fight for their rights as laid down in the law in case of any violation. Just like any other country, the labor law in UAE ensures the protection of several rights of the labor such as;
Classification of Workers
In any job environment, the classification of workers is immensely important. Independent contractors, individuals, freelancers, etc. are not usually covered under labor laws which means that the employers are not liable to pay taxes for such employees. A contractor an individual that works on deliverables can’t be controlled by the employer. The employer can only control how the person works if they are a permanent part of the team. This is why the nature of employees or workers in any workplace needs to point out those who are working independently and those that are employed permanently. Many scammers attempt to hide their employees under the guise of contractors to escape heavy taxes. The implementation of labor laws is important to discourage this trend and promote credible classification of workers at a workplace according to the law.
Child Protection
Child labor is a curse that is unfortunately still prevalent in various workplaces. Most employers prefer to hire underage workers to get more work while paying minimum wages. According to Article 5 of UAE’s labor law, juveniles between the age of 15-18 are prohibited to be employed. Unfortunately, despite this ban, many labor forces still induct child workers as part of their teams to carry hard labor jobs. The labor laws are introduced to ensure the protection of children forced to work in harsh conditions.
Wage Protection
The exploitation of workers is also a phenomenon in the UAE where many employees deprive their workers of their dues or delay their salaries for an indefinite period. The Labor Laws in practice ensure that the workers are paid on time and through the proper channel without depriving anyone of their salary. Though there is no specific limit for minimum wages in UAE, the UAE Labour Law mentions the salary must cover the necessities of the workers. In this regard, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has introduced the Wage Protection System (WPS) to encourage the workers to register their complaints regarding unpaid dues, and delayed salaries.
Working Hours
Labor Laws also ensure that the workers work as per the agreed time and are compensated accordingly. As per Article 65 of the UAE Labor Law, the workers are required to work 8 hours a day and 48 hours per week. It is the maximum limit and working beyond these hours is considered illegal. The limit by the labor law ensures that workers are not pressurized for additional work which can be tantamount to their mental and physical health. This implementation of the law ensures that workers also get ample time to participate in other activities in life apart from working.
Discrimination Prevention
Since Dubai is a metropolitan, people from different regions and cultures work here. bullying, insensitive jokes, and discrimination are some of the common concerns of workers. To ensure that the workers work in a healthy environment, labor laws act to prevent discrimination against workers. According to Article 4 of the UAE Labor Law, discrimination based on race, gender, color, sex, religion, and national identity is prohibited. It is pertinent to enable an environment where people from different backgrounds work in complete harmony without disrespecting anyone.
In nutshell, it is safe to say that hiring a labor law attorney in Dubai is highly important to fight your case according to the UAE’s labor law and ensure your rights as a worker in any workforce.