UAE: New committee to resolve unpaid salary disputes for large groups of workers

A new committee has been established in the UAE to help deal with financial disputes, such as unpaid wages, involving employers and big numbers of workers.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) on Monday announced that it has established the committee to look into collective labour disputes related to the financial rights of workers whose number exceeds 50, provided that the matter has failed to be settled amicably between the two parties.

The decision was issued earlier by the UAE Cabinet.

Khalil Khoury, Acting Undersecretary for Human Resources Affairs at the MoHRE, said the decision to establish the committee comes within the framework of strengthening the legislative and organizational structure of labour disputes in line with the Law on Regulating Labour Relations and its Executive Regulations, and in a manner that guarantees the rights of both parties and for the speedy settlement of labour disputes.

The committee, which is chaired by the MoHRE, constitutes of representative members from relevant authorities, including a court of appeals judge, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a representative from the local labour committee or from the labour crisis team in the emirate within the spatial jurisdiction of the dispute, in addition to a representative from the MoHRE Work Relations Department.

Khoury has affirmed the consolidation of the principle of impartiality, integrity, and transparency in the work of the committee, considering the composition of its members, and its mechanism of consideration of the collective work dispute referred to it.

The committee will resolve labour financial disputes in the presence of representatives of the workers and the employer. The committee members will also hear from witnesses and summon whomever they deem appropriate to adjudicate the dispute. The committee will allow the two parties to present a defensive memorandum accompanied by documents supporting their defence within a period of at least three days from the date of notification of the date of the hearing.

Khoury explained that the committee will issue a decision within 30 days from the date of the first session of handling the matter. The decision will then be referred to the competent department for implementation.

The Cabinet decision allowed the committee to request the liquidation of the employer’s bank guarantees, and the disbursement of the value of the insurance coverage, to protect the rights of the workers’ party to the dispute, and to address any impact of the collective labour dispute referred to the committee.

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