Ministry of Labour targets late wages

DUBAI // Workers are being urged to report companies that withhold salaries as soon as possible in order to solve disputes and prevent them drifting into the illegal labour market. Under UAE law employees can prosecute a company if they have not been paid for two months.

But in the current financial climate the Ministry of Labour has said it will involve itself earlier and must be told immediately if a company has failed to pay. In addition to wanting workers to get money they are owed, ministry officials are anxious to avoid seeing a pool of workers stranded in the UAE forced through necessity to work illegally should a company reduce its staff. "Financial crisis or not, companies should pay staff's salaries on time. Those who have not been paid should report their employers to the Ministry of Labour," said Saleh Ahad Saleh, the director of the labour office at the Ministry of Labour.

In an effort to control the illegal labour market, the ministry is also considering allowing those waiting more than two months for their wages to move to new jobs without being released by their current employer. An adviser to Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, said: "The ministry will step in if companies fail to pay their employees. We are here to protect the rights of expatriate workers in the UAE as it's our responsibility. What we want to make sure is that all payments, as agreed in contract, should be paid on time and the ministry is aggressively pursuing these objectives.

"If people haven't been paid in over two months then staff can move on to other companies without having to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC), and pay for visa amendments. Fines would be levied against the company," he said. "We are reviewing speculation that there will be a black market of labourers, but we are sure it won't happen as we have the mechanisms in place to avoid such scenarios."

"We recognise the protection of foreign nationals as a rule of law and the enforcement of the law is the mandate of the ministry." He added that bailing out companies was not the responsibility of the ministry. One international company did not pay the salaries of 150 employees for 10 weeks as it looked at securing the necessary funds to pay them. Hit hard by the international global crisis, the financial director of the company told The National that it had to reduce its operations in other parts of the world in order to free the money needed to pay its UAE workers.

He confirmed staff had been waiting for 10 weeks for their money. The Ministry of Labour did not intervene on this occasion. So far this year there has been a record increase in court cases against employers who withhold salaries and refuse to issue the NOCs that enable people to change jobs. The number of cases filed with the Dubai Courts Labour Cases Section in the first half of this year has increased 111.7 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Yesterday Mr Ghobash inaugurated the Third Human Assets Expansion Congress Mid-East in Dubai, which is being attended by 150 human resources professionals. The two-day conference will discuss the latest challenges in the employment sector. Over the past three years the UAE had seen an exceptional growth in the labour market, with an extra on million workers hired. "Today we are at the threshold of a new era in the administration of our labour market, which requires a critical diagnosing of the challenges facing the market," the minister was quoted as saying by the state news agency, WAM.

"The situation also demands an objective understanding of the root of the problems, adoption of appropriate strategies to develop human resources and to give the issue the priority it deserves in the nation's comprehensive socio-economic development programme." Last night the Cabinet endorsed a new human resources draft Bill, the Minister of Health, Humaid al Qattami said. The draft Bill contains clauses stipulating the replacement of the Civil Services Commission with a Human Resources Authority, which will evolve and support the administrative system and human resources development in the federal Government.

He said some of the labour challenges included the need to provide jobs for Emiratis below the age of 30. More than 38 per cent of the national population is below the age of 15, while the rate of women venturing into the labour market is on the increase. There was an expectation that the national labour force would double by 2020, to reach about half a million compared to the current 250,000, he said.

"This means our national economy must provide more job opportunities in the next 11 years than it created in the past four decades," he said, calling for collaboration between the private and the government sectors to overcome these challenges. shafez@thenational.ae

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.

E-cigarette report

Big tobacco believes UAE is 'seriously considering' lifting e-cigarette ban

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE

Join parent networks
Look beyond school fees
Keep an open mind

While you're here

Hussein Ibish: America's attitude to Palestine and Israel has subtly shifted

Con Coughlin: With every missile fired in Israel-Gaza, Biden's clout reduces

Anwar Mhajne: The moral burden of being a Palestinian citizen of Israel

RESULT

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5

Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

From exhibitions to the battlefield

In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.

It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.

It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.

It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.

KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67

GROUPS

Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)

Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)

Specs

Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

Squads

Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara