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Disabled jobs quota proposal is dropped

DUBAI — The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has withdrawn an earlier proposal to impose a two per cent job quota on employment of people with special needs in private companies which have more than 50 employees and three per cent in the government and public sector, a senior official confirmed yesterday.

Published: Sun 8 May 2005, 10:36 AM

Updated: Tue 20 Jun 2023, 2:32 PM

  • By
  • Sanaa Maadad

Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Kaabi, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, said that the government will not impose any quota on employment of the disabled either in the private or the public sector.

“The ministry has drafted a new law on the rights of the disabled people and has not included any provision compelling private establishment to fulfil a quota on recruiting individuals with disabilities,” he said.


This proposal, however, was included in the initial draft law, the first in the UAE that secures the rights of the people with special needs in equal treatment, health services, education, employment, public and cultural and sports life, suitable and disabled friendly environment, transport, driving and parkings, housing as well as rehabilitation and training.

“The law will outline the rights of the disabled and stipulate the regulations that need to be observed by establishments,” the minister said, noting that one of his priorities is the welfare of the disabled.

“Among the issues that will be addressed by the ministry at present are those concerning the family including the welfare of the disabled, the problems of divorce among others,” Dr Kaabi said.

He added that the ministry will conduct studies on the changes affecting the society and its stability such as the globalisation, the impact of satellite channels and the problems facing working women. “A comprehensive study is being conducted at present by the Marriage Fund and the UAE University and it is in its final stages,” he disclosed.

Hussain Al Sheikh, Social Affairs Advisor to the ministry, explained to Khaleej Times the reason behind the withdrawal of the earlier proposal to impose a quota. He said: “The final draft which has been agreed upon by the Fatwa and Legislation and the ministry does not include any article specifying quotas. We believed that since the changes in the labour market might dictate a change in the quota, it would be very difficult at a later stage to amend the law. So instead of stipulating a percentage for the employment of people with special needs, we replaced the initial provision with another giving the ministry the right to propose the imposition of a quota to the cabinet who can issue an order to this effect,”Al Sheikh said, noting that it is much easier to issue a Cabinet order than to amend a law. Shedding light on the new law which has been submitted to the technical committee for legislations, he said that it has been drafted after revision of similar laws in advanced countries and it was based on the international human rights principles.

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According to the draft law which has been prepared by a team of experts chaired by Mariam Al Roomi, Under-Secretary for Social Affairs at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the disability should not be a hinderance to the nomination of the disabled for a job or his/ her recruitment. If an employer turned a disabled down for no other reason that the disability, he will be penalised and fined the complaintant could prove that the application was clearly rejected on the basis of handicap.

The law stipulates several measures for rehabilitating and training the people with special needs and specifies their rights to life and nondiscrimination with regard to the ownership and inheritence and management of properties, availing of bank loans and practising all financial dealings, freedom of expression by Braille or sign language which should also be provided in courts for them and the right to security and privacy by preserving the privacy of even those disabled staying in the rehabilitation centres.

The health and educational services to which the disabled are entitled are also detailed in the law which also ensures special facilities for the working disabled with regard to the pensions and social securities.

The law encourages the participation of the disabled in the public sports, cultural and general activities and the requirements of buildings, roads and public utilities that make the country a disabled environment friendly. It specifies the minimum technical and engineering conditions to be met when constructing buildings and utilities.

It also stipulates that the parties concerned with public or private transport have to have at least 2 per cent of their vehicles equipped for the disabled who will be provided with special cards entitling them to several facilities in moving around, parking their vehicles among others. The law gives any disabled to right to apply for a driving licence and prevents the insurance companies from refusing to insure the vehicles for the disabled.

The law also guarantees that disabled are provided with decent housing with special specifications.



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