The Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp), a leading developer of industrial zones in the UAE, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior recently organised a workshop highlighting worker’s rights.

The workshop was held on International Human Rights Day, which is celebrated every year on December 10.

The workshop, which was attended by directors of the 32 worker cities under ZonesCorp umbrella, was designed to ensure that the high standards enshrined in law by the Abu Dhabi Government, are understood by its partners and that the labour laws regarding workers’ rights are being properly applied, said a statement from the organisation.

Saeed Eisa Mohammed Al Khyeli, director general of ZonesCorp, said: “The labour law in the UAE requires that every employer takes appropriate measures to protect workers from the dangers of occupational injuries and illnesses that may occur during the work.

“Safety is priority and everyone is equal in terms of rights, and we maintain high ethical and legal standards,” he said.

“In line with the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 we want to help build a sustainable and globally integrated industrial manufacturing sector in Abu Dhabi and therefore we need to ensure that all workers who are a key part of this are protected,” he added.

“The UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular has a good record in relation to workers' rights. We have implemented a number of initiatives to ensure that the highest international standards are met, such as the Wages Protection System and Safety in Heat which prohibits work during the middle of the day the summer months,” said Al Khyeli.

“We also have welfare administration units that are deployed in the worker cities to give advice on labour issues, hear workers' complaints and find ways of resolving them,” he concluded.

During the workshop First Lieutenant Ali Hassan Al-Hammadi from the Law Respect Culture Bureau at the Ministry of Interior, gave a presentation that laid out the legal rights of workers, as well as common abuses of those rights and the resulting punishments under UAE law.

Al Hammadi stressed at the beginning of the presentation, the need for workers to also understand their legal rights and their contractual obligations towards their employers to ensure they are not exploited.

During the presentation he emphasised that UAE law guarantees workers the freedom to practice any religion or faith, the right not to be subjected to physical harm or any act that reduces the dignity of workers or compromises their customs and traditions. He also pointed out that workers have right to complain and report abuses of the law as well as the right to legal counsel. He stressed that ignorance of the labour laws on the part of employers or employees was no excuse.

He added that the state provides workers with a range of comprehensive legal means to demand their rights, except by strike or demonstrations or other actions that would affect the security of the state.
 
Al Hammadi ended his presentation by talking about the most common punishable offenses by workers, including theft, fraud, to be drunk, possession and use of drugs or controlled substances without a prescription, physical abuse, sexual and indecent assault, slander and libel, destruction of public or private property, it added. – TradeArabia News Service