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Abu Dhabi begins one-day court to settle labour disputes

Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi has a distinguished judicial system safeguarding workers' rights

A 'One-Day Labour Court', which ensures quick verdicts and reducing delays at the courts by 60 per cent, has started in Abu Dhabi, said judicial authorities.
The Abu Dhabi judicial department said the one-day court chamber deals with uncomplicated labour disputes between workers and employers in which the workers seek claims less than Dh20,000.
Yousef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi judicial department, said: "The One-Day Labour Court has been initiated to speed up disputes between workers and their employers. We want to ensure justice for all parties in a record time under the rule of law."
He said Abu Dhabi has a distinguished judicial system which comes within the framework of the UAE's interest in safeguarding workers' rights through a sophisticated judicial system that meets all requirements.
"Abu Dhabi's judicial system is on a par with global standards and effectively contributes to achieving the desired goals of strategic plans that sustain the UAE's competitiveness," said Al Abri.
The labour court in Abu Dhabi has a jurisdiction over cases involving workers in the private sector, through the application of the Labor Law and the Human Rights Charter, taking into account speed and fairness while resolving cases.
Under the law and to protect the interests of both parties, the labour court had previously required litigants, to resort first to the reconciliation committees, in an attempt to find amicable solutions to their disputes. But in early 2017, the reconciliation committees in the labor court were removed with a view to speed up the process of litigation and dispute resolution.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation refers the dispute to the labour court and after registering the case in the electronic registration section, case management officers manage the dispute directly. They then refer the case file to the competent chamber, having they served a notice of the hearing date to the defendant.
The jurisdiction of the major chamber is restricted to cases involving rights and claims more than Dh500,000, and where the claims are of unknown value including recovery of passports or certificates of experience. The minor chambers usually consider cases where the value of the claim is less than Dh500,000.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi