subject: Recent Changes In The UAE Labour Laws [print this page] Recent Changes In The UAE Labour Laws Recent Changes In The UAE Labour Laws
To aid accommodate the current variations in the global market and to assist in recovering Dubai's and the UAE's as a whole, economies, the Ministry of Labour has issued various Ministerial Decrees, changing the UAE Labour Laws. The purpose to these changes is to tackle the free movement of expatriates within the region and to ensure that their rights are more stringently upheld.
One of the new modifications relates to the Wage Protection System which was put in place over the course of 2009-2010. In the event of non payment of salary all employees of private sector companies have the right to ring either the Ministry of Labour's toll free number to anomalously lodge a complaint against their employer for unpaid salary or to report an online application with their labour card, direct to the Offices of Wage Protection. The Offices of Wage Protection will conduct an investigation into the establishment and why salaries haven't been paid.
As from January 2011 all skilled and professional workers will be exempt from the necessity of obtaining a No Objection Certificate ("NOC") from their employer to allow them to transfer their sponsorship and work permit. All skilled workers would be from January 2011 exempt from the 6 month labour bar. All other non-skilled workers will be required to fulfill 2 years of employment before they to would be able to even change employer freely, without the requirement of a NOC. These changes must immensely increase the movement of the skilled work force but will still prohibit those without the required education certificates. The changes come in conjunction to changes in fees for work permits and the decrease in length for which a work permit will be legitimate from three years to two years.
The above shouldn't be confused however, with the twelve month employment prohibition which would continue to have effective, irrelevant of length of service or a NOC. This ban is placed on employees who break their employment contract, such as leave a fixed term contract during its term.
These changes are necessary to make sure that the labour market has the opportunity to spread their skills as required and to not reprimand employees who wish to move from companies whereby their treatment is far from perfect.
