UAE office to protect foreign workers

ABU DHABI – The UAE government announced on Tuesday the creation of an agency to protect the interests of foreign laborers.

Labor Minister Saqr Ghubash was quoted by the official WAM news agency as saying the agency would monitor complaints from workers about unpaid wages and regulate labor conflicts that emerge over salaries.

He added that consultations would take place with employers over the low level of wages, which is particularly noticeable in the massive construction sector.

The oil-rich and booming United Arab Emirates had a population of some 5.6 million people at the end of 2006, of which some 84 percent were foreigners and many of whom were low-paid workers from South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Asian workers have demonstrated several times in the past year to demand higher wages and better living conditions despite a ban on public protests in the UAE.

Many construction workers earn less than $200 a month and have been further hit by mounting inflation. - Agence France-Presse through INQUIRER.net, October 22, 2008