Dubai - New airport booths inform migrant workers of legal rights

(18 Feb 2016) LEAD IN Migrant workers can now get information on their rights from special booths at Dubai Airport. The initiative was unveiled by government minister Saqr Ghobash and comes in the wake of reforms to the UAE's labour laws. STORY-LINE: A vital new resource for the UAE's migrant workers. This booth supplies information for newcomers to the country's job market. Foreigners account for close to 90 percent of the UAE's workforce, according to the NGO Human Rights Watch. Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis come here in particularly high numbers, many as cheap labourers who build the sleek skyscrapers of cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, says this pilot project will help inform them of their rights. "For the first time, we are approaching workers as they arrive in the UAE to give them a little booklet which is now available in five languages," he says. But there's more to come. "There will be 16 languages to tell workers what they are entitled to and what they have to do, and if they have any complaints or issues where to go." Employment reforms were introduced at the start of the year. The new laws focus on improving the transparency of job terms and employment contracts, spell out how contracts can be broken and make it easier for workers to switch employers. "The goal for this is to get the information, rules and rights to the worker so that they can benefit from them and also to know when they can fight for their rights in case there is any violation from any side," explains Ghobash. The United Arab Emirates is home to millions of migrant workers, many of them from South Asia and the Philippines. At 2.6 million strong, Indians alone far outnumber the local population. Rights groups have long raised concerns about conditions for workers, including inadequate housing, low pay, the illegal confiscation of passports and limits on workers' ability to change employers. Ruba Jaradat, Assistant director-general and regional director for the Arab States of the International Labour Organization, is here to learn more about the recent reforms. "We are looking to see how these new provisions can improve the rights of workers and how the government is showing that to the workers," she says. The UAE is not the only country being urged to improve its treatment of foreign workers. Fellow Gulf nation Qatar has come under scrutiny over migrant labourers working on World Cup infrastructure and other construction projects in Qatar. "There is a need for more improvements in the region as a whole, in the Arab countries in general," says Jaradat. The new initiative at Dubai Airport includes information packets and greeters to answer any questions migrant workers may have. The government plans to roll out the project to other airports in the UAE. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/43d8d2a55f28e06ca6a0c77249325ebe Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork