0859e5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRDapproved/thenational/Articles/Migration/2009-Q2Wage protection is a national interestf759e5d7d2188210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____The wage protection system launched yesterday is an important step towards ensuring that labour contracts are honoured by channelling payrolls through the banking system and monitoring payments.<p>'UAE businesses will now adhere to timely wage payment at the exact amounts agreed with employees." That promise made by Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, does not equate to a substantial change in the law - salaries paid on time and in full have always been national policy - but has broad ramifications for administration and enforcement. The wage protection system launched yesterday is an important step towards ensuring that labour contracts are honoured by channelling payrolls through the banking system and monitoring payments. This is in the national interest in more ways than one, ensuring fair treatment in accordance with prevailing social values as well as contributing to the overall stability of labour relations.</p> <p>It would be fair to say that implementation is still a work in progress. At this point the new wage scheme is neither compulsory nor applied across the board, and it is too early to measure the success or failure of the undertaking. What has become increasingly clear is the engagement with the issue at federal level. Mr Ghobash recently condemned the illegal but widespread practice of holding employees' passports, while the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, has called for a debate on the introduction of a minimum wage. Working conditions and accommodation standards for labourers have become some of the most high-profile priorities at the nation's flagship development projects.</p> <p>Certainty is a crucial consideration for workers and employers alike. There is a societal shift under way towards a labour market based on institutional guarantees, but that shift needs to spread to all participants, not just authorities. The new payment structure may prove a valuable tool for enforcement. What will make the most difference in the long term, however, is that employment practices will improve unilaterally in the context of a fair competitive framework in which information is freely available. Not least, people who intend to come here to work - and take advantage of the considerable opportunities available - should be informed of their rights and obligations before they arrive. The Government role is to set and enforce regulations, but this should not be the heaviest hand in the marketplace.</p> 84NNOPINION2009052700000020090527000000100ARhttp://adedit.ad.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090527/OPINION/705269914670526991420090527100000000174