EHRA hails workers’ law issued by President

The Emirates Human Rights Association (EHRA) has praised Federal Law No. 10 for the year 2017 regarding the support service workers, which was issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In its statement, EHRA welcomed the law noting that it was a great development and a qualitative addition to Emirati human rights legislation. It called for a national campaign to create awareness about its provisions and ensure that people commit to it, respect it and apply its provisions.

The EHRA clarified that the law endeavoured to strengthen the balance between the rights of the worker, and the rights of the business owners and the users, by requiring the recruitment agencies to pay the expenses of workers returning to their country. They must also provide replacements for workers, without requiring the business owner to pay any additional expenses, or them returning all the amount paid by the business owner, according to the latter’s choice, if it was proved that the worker was not physically fit, was unable to work, or if they stopped working during the probation period.

The EHRA added in its statement that the law represented through its different clauses a humanitarian and human rights vision that was in line with all the international guarantees and standards regulating the human rights on work and employment, such as requiring the age of employment for the support workers to be above 18, weekly vacation, rest, sick leave, medical treatment and healthcare, guaranteeing them their full pay, as well as giving the right to file grievances and complaints to the aggrieved.

It also mentioned the creation of an inspection department for the official monitoring of the extent of the commitment to execute and apply the law’s provisions.

Source: Wam