US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3200

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UAE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGES REALITIES OF WORKERS RIGHTS

Identifier: 03ABUDHABI3200
Wikileaks: View 03ABUDHABI3200 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Abu Dhabi
Created: 2003-07-08 12:58:00
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  03/21/2007 12:21:46 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                            July 08, 2003


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 3200 - ROUTINE)         

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

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  UAE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGES REALITIES OF      
          WORKERS RIGHTS                                         

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 03200

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

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: A/DCM: KVANDEVATE
DRAFTED: ECON: GARANA
CLEARED: ECON: OBJOHN

VZCZCADI914
RR RUEHC RUCPDOC RUEHZM
DE RUEHAD #3200 1891258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081258Z JUL 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0775
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL AND EB/CBA 
STATE PASS OPIC/OPIC INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEPARTMENT 
FOR VIRGINIA GREEN AND CONSTANCE SHINN 
USDOC FOR 4530/ITA/MAC/ONE/DGUGLIELMI, 
4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/CLOUSTAUNAU, 
4500/ITA/MAC/DAS/WILLIAMSON, 
3131/CS/OIO/ANESA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, PREL, PHUM, PGOV, SOCI, CVIS, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGES 
REALITIES OF WORKERS RIGHTS 
 
1. (U) In a newspaper interview with a local English 
daily, the UAE Labor Undersecretary Dr. Khalid Al- 
Khazraji declared, in response to a question about the 
legality of strikes in the UAE, "The UAE labour law 
has not forbidden strikes.  It has not mentioned them 
as it has a system for labourers to get their rights 
without the need for them to organise strikes. 
Labourers have rights and if they are denied them, 
they can stop working."  Al-Khazraji also stated in 
the interview, "Regarding accusing the UAE authorities 
of not offering enough protection to labourers in the 
country, I think it is baseless and the ministry has 
never ignored complaints by workers against their 
employees.  We follow the legal procedure as specified 
by the law, we try to settle the dispute before 
referring it to the court and finally ask the two 
parties to go to the court if we fail to resolve the 
issue." 
 
2.  (SBU) Comment: Dr. Al-Khazraji is the public face 
of labor reform in the UAE -- he is quoted on an 
almost daily basis in the newspapers expounding upon 
Ministry initiatives.  His high profile is indicative 
not only of his prominence in the UAE bureaucracy but 
it is also a testament to his abilities.  Al-Khazraji 
is well-known to the Embassy and highly regarded for 
his intelligence and understanding of the complexities 
of the labor issues in the UAE.  Though Al-Khazraji's 
statements are predictable -- a bureaucrat would never 
state publicly that the government was not doing all 
it could as efficiently as possible -- they are 
nevertheless an accurate acknowledgement by an 
important Labor official of the reality on the ground. 
Workers do go on strike, and there are significant 
formal and informal dispute resolution mechanisms 
available to laborers. End comment. 
 
Wahba 

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