Dubai Municipality Rules and Regulations for Labour Camp
– Business licenses will be suspended and workers` accommodation services will be reduced until fines are paid. Do you have your opinionWhat do you think of the new law on workers` housing? Do you know someone who still lives in an below-average labor camp in terms of sanitation and security? What have they done about it? Construction companies welcomed the new changes. Ahmad Kamil, Head of Human Resources at construction company ETA ASCON, said: “This is a welcome step from the managers involved. Companies are committed to providing good living conditions for their workers. We currently offer each worker an area of 30 to 35 square meters. Workers should be offered better living conditions. All rooms, kitchens, dining rooms and other rooms must be air-conditioned according to the existing specifications of the municipality. Common services such as the kitchen, multipurpose rooms for meals, TV room, etc., work accessories room, prayer room, first aid room and rooms for other services should be located on the ground floor. “The community has been trying for many months to work with companies to improve living conditions. We have issued notifications and some fines, but unfortunately many companies are not complying,” Al Shwaikh said.
We have enough staff to monitor all areas of the industry,” he said. “The federal agency has promulgated the rule and the local authority will be happy to ensure that it is implemented,” said Salem bin Mesmar, the city`s deputy director general of health, safety and environmental control. “Many warehouses already have these standards. However, there are a few others that have not yet complied with it. While Dubai said each worker must have 40 square feet (3.7 square meters) of personal space, the new guidelines reduce that number to three meters. Why should services be removed from professional housing due to errors and negligence on the part of the company? Why should the poor worker suffer? Instead of interrupting the provision of work accommodation, you should put the owner or sponsor of the business behind bars. The worker is like a slave, whatever is given to him, he will take it because he left his homeland and came here to earn money and provide for his family in his homeland. HussainDubai, United Arab Emirates These new rules will certainly improve the living conditions of workers. But what about workers who don`t live in corporate housing, but live in worse conditions to save money? Will these accommodations also be subject to penalties?K.M.
YasirSharjah, UAE It`s very good, I like to do the same in the Abu Dhabi Industrial Zone. Thank youMahinAbu Dhbai, UAE I thought construction companies should provide housing for workers far from the residential areas of Sharjah. However, I live in the Al Nabaa area of Sharjah near the Mubarak/Al Rolla Center and the surrounding new buildings as well as the old houses are all rented to workers, so it looks like a residential working area. We find that it is almost impossible to take even a walk outside in the evening or on weekends, because the whole area is covered with these men. As a girl, I have a hard time going to the small park in front of the Mubarak center, or even walking easily to the living room or shopping with the parents – I would be happy if the authorities investigated this case and forced the Company to provide them with accommodation in another place away from the family areas. ShaaistaDubai, UAE I think it`s a very good decision. FarhanDubai, United Arab Emirates We welcome the Sharjah government`s decision that will improve the lives of workers. We want each action to move the labor camps in the Sharjah family`s residential areas to another location. KhaledSharjah, the UAE`s proposals are still good, but the authorities must try to implement them. It shouldn`t just be on paper. SebastianDubai, India There is something abnormal about the way workers are housed in this region. Dilapidated sheds with crowded rooms, often housing more than 10 people on an area of 10 m², hiding their personal belongings under cots, hanging clothes on the walls, preparing food on the floor – these are regular attractions in a labor camp.
Human dignity is promised here for meagre wages. IsmailDubai, UAE I hope that these good intentions of the Sharjah community will be realized in a thorough and consistent manner. No one deserves to be exploited when their employers clearly make a lot of money. One problem – The municipality states that “services for workers` housing will be cut off until the fines are paid.” Won`t this be suffering for these workers and for no one else? Perhaps some of these policies should be reviewed so that sanctions harm offenders and not the people the new laws are supposed to protect. DeanDubai, United Arab Emirates Well, we hear a lot of people say that new laws are coming in a few days, but nothing happens. What I propose is that the municipal inspectors themselves inspect and request the living conditions of the workers, especially the labor camps that are located in residential areas such as Al Musallah and Rolla, etc. I would appreciate that. MohammedDubai, United Arab Emirates I sincerely appreciate the government`s interest in workers and their well-being. I was lucky enough to see one of their accommodations where 20 stay in a room with only one toilet. Their long working hours, tired of work, no suitable place to cook, finally paid for what, Dh500/600 per month and that even once every 6 months, terrible view. My best wishes to the government`s decision.S. KumarDubai, UAE “We will now be able to redouble our efforts to ensure that the rules and regulations aimed at protecting workers are enforced,” Al Shwaikh said.
According to the new decision, each employee must have at least 3.5 square meters. Professional accommodation should also include a laundry room, kitchens and dining rooms. In addition, the work rooms must contain the necessary furniture such as a single bed and a wardrobe for each worker. As in all other residential buildings, there should be sufficient ventilation, natural or artificial light, thermal insulation, drainage, water supply, gas, electricity, fire protection measures, as well as sanitary and environmental requirements. In this context, the municipality has already issued a circular to dubai`s design offices. Previously, the standard required a space of 20 square meters for each worker. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, has issued a new set of rules for housing workers in the emirate, which aims to protect workers by ensuring healthy living conditions. The new guidelines replace a similar set of minimum standards announced by Dubai Municipality in July 2007, giving companies three years to improve conditions. City inspectors had already carried out random checks and fined those who did not meet their standards, but the new national regulations give companies five years to comply. Dubai Municipality said it would like to apply the new regulations, which it says have been little changed by themselves. Companies that have detected violations will receive a 30-day grace period in the future to adjust their terms. Not only will companies that do not comply with it be fined, but the bodies concerned will also make the adjustments to the work facilitation themselves to the companies` expenses.