Dubai’s Permanent Committee for Labor Affairs (PCLA) has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with private and social organizations in order to consolidate the UAE’s and emirate’s drive to implement progressive labor policies that integrate global best practices.
HE Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) and Chairman of the PCLA, said that the Committee continues to pursue workplace campaigns and community initiatives throughout the year to further improve workers’ standard of living and working, aligned with Dubai’s strategy to set new standards in labor welfare.
“We have carried out several successful initiatives throughout the years, aimed at raising the welfare and happiness of workers in Dubai,” HE Bin Suroor noted.
The PCLA Chairman highlighted the workers’ awareness and training program, a project that the Committee introduced in 2016 in collaboration with the Middle East Centre for Training and Development.
The program, aimed at ensuring workers know their rights and duties, has trained over 70,000 workers so far. It covers an extensive range of topics including UAE Culture, Labor and Immigration laws and regulations, health and safety, and government help channels.
Mr. Abdulla Lashkari Mohammad, Secretary-General of the PCLA, noted that “during the COVID-19 crisis, the Committee supported workers in overcoming the impact of the pandemic by adapting the program. Following the containment of the virus, the program continues to raise health and safety as well as labor rights awareness. It is offered in four languages: English, Arabic, Urdu, and Hindi.”
“The training program is based on scientific and academic criteria and is implemented according to international standards of human and labor rights protections. It aims to maintain the stability of the contractual relationship between employers and workers and prevent labor rights abuses,” commented Dr. Ahmed Al Hashemi, Consultant to the PCLA and Managing Director of the Middle East Centre for Training and Development.
