The news that labour protests in the UAE have more than halved in the first three months of the year tells us two things. Recent labour reforms - particularly the wage protection system, health and safety standards, and basic accommodation requirements - have improved conditions for many workers. But there is more work to be done on workers' issues.
Even more notable than a reduced number of labour protests is the Ministry of Interior's plan to deal with worker actions. As The National reported yesterday, authorities have identified the underlying causes of the 34 protests that occurred - more than half were triggered by unpaid salaries, 30 per cent by demands for pay rises and almost 20 per cent over complaints about unpaid overtime.
Authorities acknowledge that many of these are legitimate demands that should be resolved between companies and their employees. Measures implemented in the past two years, such as the wage protection system that requires employers to pay workers by direct deposit into their accounts, were necessary precisely because of cases where wages went unpaid.
The new Ministry of Interior plan to deal with labour actions is a similar commitment to protect rights as well as maintain security. The head of the Higher Committee for Labour Crisis Management, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, who is also the Dubai police chief, has offered his guarantee to that effect: "We aim to resolve the labourers' disputes in a manner that will assure their rights are met, while assuring the country's security." More details on how this will be implemented would be welcome.
A critical component of this new plan should be the multi-tiered response to labour strikes. Police will arrive first, then the plan requires specialist responders to arrive on the scene within 45 minutes to document workers' grievances. When those grievances are warranted - as in the case of unpaid wages - authorities could be able to resolve the situation quickly.
As with any plan, its effectiveness will depend on will and implementation. There is a clear acknowledgement that the best way to solve strikes is to resolve the underlying issues. That is a major step down the long road of establishing a fair and productive labour market, which is in the interest of workers, of the economy and of the nation.
