The United Arab Emirates is introducing labour reforms that aim to tighten oversight of employment agreements for the millions of temporary migrant workers that make up the bulk of the country’s workforce, a top Emirati official said on Tuesday.
like its oil-rich Gulf Arab neighbors, the Emirates has long faced criticism for its treatment of low-paid laborers who build and staff the sleek skyscrapers, hotels and cutting-edge infrastructure in cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Critics say existing policies that tie workers to a sponsoring company leave employees open to exploitation and with limited options to leave an abusive work environment.
The reforms are being implemented through three government decrees that will take effect on January 1, labor Minister Saqr Ghobash told journalists in the federal capital, Abu Dhabi.