UAE drafts new law to regulate domestic worker industry

Abu Dhabi, May 2 (ANI): A new law has been drafted in the UAE to regulate the domestic workers industry in the country.

One approved, the new law shall protect the rights of both workers and employers. he draft law aligns with UAE rules of International Labour Organisation's Convention 189 and Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, the Gulf News reports.

The bill, approved by the UAE Cabinet in January, must now be passed by the Federal National Council and signed into law by President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The law seeks to promote decent work for domestic workers, including social protection and access to specialised tribunals at the Interior Ministry and courts.

It sets 18 years as the minimum age for a domestic worker, which is consistent with international rules on elimination of child labour.

Arabic will be the language of the contract. Where a foreign language is used in addition to Arabic, the Arabic version shall be regarded as authoritative.

There are around 750,000 domestic workers in the UAE, making up to about 20 percent of the expatriate workforce, according to the Ministry of Interior's statistics at the end of 2007. They outnumber family members in 22 per cent of Emirati families. (ANI)