A recent labour law amendment has given the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) the jurisdiction to settle disputes worth Dh50,000 or less without going to the court.
At a workshop held on Thursday at the Mohre headquarters in Muhaisnah, a team of legal researchers explained more about the law and its ramifications.
Procedure explained
How to report: Any employee who has a labour-related dispute can file a complaint at the Mohre office. This can be done in person, online or by calling the call centre on 60056566.
What happens: Once the complaint is received by the Ministry, it will be reviewed and necessary steps will be taken to find an amicable solution. If this is not possible, then either of these two happens:
– If the value of the labour dispute is more Dh50,000, the dispute then goes to court.
– If the value of the labour dispute is less than Dh50,000, then the dispute is resolved by the Ministry.
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Next steps: For cases being resolved by the Ministry, there is a writ of execution. The relevant party needs to attend the court for the judgement to be annotated with execution. The judgement of the Ministry is final. However, if an appeal is filed, the execution of decision will be suspended.
Appeal: If the decision is not satisfactory to either party, they may file a lawsuit before the Court of Appeals within 15 days to appeal the judgement. The court will schedule a hearing to consider the case within three working days, and the case will be judged within 15 working days. The decision of the Court of Appeals shall constitute the final verdict.
Time period: There is a stipulated time period during which employees can file a case against their employer. This has been specified as one year from the last day during which the employee has communicated with the employer regarding the dispute.
Wages withheld: As part of the dispute resolution process, the Ministry may order the employer to provide the worker’s wages for a maximum of two months, if the dispute results in the worker’s wages being withheld.