The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) organised an awareness workshop for representatives from legal departments in several private-sector companies and media outlets on the procedures to settle labour disputes, in line with Federal Decree law No. 20 of 2023 Amending Certain Provisions of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationships, and Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023 Amending Certain Provisions of Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 Concerning Domestic Workers.

The session was held in Arabic and English at the MoHRE’s Dubai headquarters, with the objective of raising awareness among legal departments at private-sector companies about legislation related to labour dispute and emphasising the need to comply with relevant laws.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation settles labour disputes with a final decision (which holds an executive order), provided a specified set of criteria is met, most notably that the total value of the dispute is AED50,000 or less, or if the dispute is about non-compliance by either party with a previous amicable settlement decision issued by MoHRE, regardless of the claimed amount.

The Ministry will continue with its usual procedures, working to find amicable settlements for disputes exceeding AED50,000, and referring cases where an amicable settlement could not be reached to the relevant court for resolution.

They also form part of the continuous development efforts to legislation to enhance the UAE’s global competitiveness, reduce the occurrence of labour disputes, and expedite their resolution, while safeguarding the rights of all parties to an employment contract through a fair and transparent legislative environment, renowned for integrity and impartiality.

The UAE labour market topped the world on the Lack of Labour Disputes indice in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022, issued by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland.