Labor Rights Watch Initiative Undertakes Assessment at Dubai Employment Center
The National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in the United Arab Emirates has embarked on a series of field visits to labor accommodation facilities, as part of an ongoing initiative to monitor living and working conditions of workers and ensure compliance with national human rights legislation.
These visits, which are conducted under Clause (7) of Article (5) of Federal Law No. (12) of 2021, aim to drive practical improvements in the welfare of workers across the country. The NHRI's delegation, led by Ameirah Al Seraidi, Member of the NHRI's Board of Trustees, recently conducted a field inspection at a labour accommodation facility in Dubai Industrial City.
The NHRI's approach includes assessing whether conditions align with UAE laws designed to protect workers, such as those ensuring adequate accommodation, proper meals, daily and weekly rest, and prohibition against retention of workers' identity documents like passports. The visits also support raising awareness among workers about their legal rights and the dispute resolution mechanisms available to them, empowering workers with knowledge to access justice if needed.
Maqsoud Kruse, Chairperson of the NHRI, emphasized the institution's dedication to monitoring and improving the welfare of workers across the country. The visits provide policy recommendations to enhance the legal frameworks in place, complementing the UAE government's efforts to strengthen regulatory measures to protect workers' rights, including ensuring decent and safe accommodation and promoting transparency and compliance with labor contracts.
The NHRI's field visits are not limited to labor accommodations but can be conducted across various institutions. These efforts are part of a broader UAE initiative to protect workers, especially vulnerable migrant laborers, within a legal structure designed to curb exploitation and forced labor common in the region.
The NHRI's field efforts were first launched in February of the current year, and the visits serve a dual role: ensuring human rights compliance by monitoring worker accommodation and working conditions against UAE labor laws and international standards, and raising awareness among workers about their rights and available protections, thereby enhancing their ability to claim those rights effectively.
These initiatives support the UAE's ongoing efforts to uphold and advance human rights standards, reflecting the country's commitment to international human rights conventions. The NHRI delegation, accompanied by a team of technical and human rights experts, met with workers individually and in small groups to assess their living conditions and listen to their feedback, ensuring that the voices of workers are heard and their concerns addressed.
In conclusion, the NHRI's field visits play a crucial role in safeguarding workers' rights and improving their living and working conditions in the UAE, embodying the country's dedication to creating a fair and just society for all.
- With a focus on workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness, the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in the UAE is conducting field visits to labor accommodations, applying science to assess conditions that align with UAE laws, such as provisions for adequate accommodation, proper meals, and daily rest.
- Several policy-and-legislation advancements have been proposed following the NHRI's field visits, aiming to strengthen the UAE's legal frameworks that protect workers' rights, including those related to the prohibition of retention of workers' identity documents and the enforcement of labor contracts.
- In the realm of general-news, the efforts made by the NHRI to safeguard the rights of workers and improve their living and working conditions have been receiving positive attention from regional and international politics, enhancing the UAE's reputation for its commitment to upholding and advancing human rights standards.
