US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI941

Disclaimer: This site has been first put up 15 years ago. Since then I would probably do a couple things differently, but because I've noticed this site had been linked from news outlets, PhD theses and peer rewieved papers and because I really hate the concept of "digital dark age" I've decided to put it back up. There's no chance it can produce any harm now.

UAE DRAFTS LABOR UNION REGULATIONS

Identifier: 03ABUDHABI941
Wikileaks: View 03ABUDHABI941 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Abu Dhabi
Created: 2003-02-26 08:39:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Tags: ELAB PREL PHUM PGOV SOCI CVIS TC
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
null
Diana T Fritz  06/05/2007 10:20:26 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                        February 26, 2003


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 941 - ROUTINE)          

TAGS:     ELAB, PREL, PHUM, PGOV, SOCI, CVIS                     

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  UAE DRAFTS LABOR UNION REGULATIONS                     

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 00941

SIPDIS
CXABU:
    ACTION: ECON 
    INFO:   P/M AMB DCM POL 
Laser1:
    INFO:   FCS 

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: DCM: RAALBRIGHT
DRAFTED: ECON: GARANA
CLEARED: ECON: TEWILLIAMS

VZCZCADI402
RR RUEHC RUCPDOC RUEHZM
DE RUEHAD #0941 0570839
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260839Z FEB 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8558
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000941 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL AND EB/CBA 
STATE PASS OPIC/OPIC INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEPARTMENT FOR 
VIRGINIA GREEN AND HARVEY HAMBURG 
USDOC FOR 4530/ITA/MAC/ONE/DGUGLIELMI, 
4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/CLOUSTAUNAU, 
4500/ITA/MAC/DAS/WILLIAMSON, 
3131/CS/OIO/ANESA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, PREL, PHUM, PGOV, SOCI, CVIS, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE DRAFTS LABOR UNION REGULATIONS 
 
1. (U) The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs completed 
the final draft of a proposal permitting the creation of 
full-fledged labor unions, on 2/24.  The plan will be 
reviewed by the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of 
Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf before a final proposal 
is submitted to the Cabinet. After approval by the Cabinet, 
the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will enact a bylaw 
to institute the new policy.  The Ministry will also 
establish a new department responsible for handling matters 
related to labor unions. 
 
2. (U) Under the draft proposal, the Labour Ministry will 
establish membership conditions for new unions.  A worker is 
defined as a "person who works in a public or private 
organization and gets paid for his work."  Groups of twenty 
or more nationals working in a profession or trade will be 
permitted to organize to protect their rights and interests. 
Organizations will be allowed to join Arab or international 
trade unions and the proposal also refers to the possibility 
of establishing a unified labor federation in the UAE. 
Expatriate laborers working in the UAE for more than six 
years will be allowed to join as associate members but will 
not be permitted to vote or contest elections. 
 
3. (SBU) Comment: The draft proposal by the Labour Ministry 
is another step in the right direction by the UAEG to bring 
domestic labor laws into conformity with international 
standards.  While workers here continue to have considerable 
rights of association -- and there have even been strikes 
(often by expatriates over non-payment of wages) -- these 
new proposals will officially ensure workers' rights to 
organize and bargain collectively. The Embassy will follow- 
up with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on the 
draft proposal and monitor its movement through the 
government. 
 
Wahba 

Latest source of this page is cablebrowser-2, released 2011-10-04