They said that change is the only constant thing in the world, and so the UAE makes necessary changes to its law and make the living of Emiratis a little bit better. And each year, introducing new rules isn’t totally out of the picture.
Below, we’ve listed the 3 new rules that the UAE introduced that you should definitely be aware of.
1. Emiratisation
This new law is known to be the highest priority of the United Arab Emirates right now. The new law is aiming to balance the number of Emirati workers in the private sector, as it is making up merely 4% of the workforce. Last year, it was ensured that companies employing 4% of their skilled workforce are Emiratis.
The goal of this new rule is to achieve at least a 10% increase in Emiratisation of the skilled workforce by 2026 in the United Arab Emirates.
Penalties for failing to meet the prescribed Emiratisation quotas have been established for different sectors, with respective amounts of fines for how often the violation is made.
First Offense: AED 100,000 fine is faced by a company for failing to comply with the new rule.
Second Offense: Failing to follow the Emiratisation target for 2 years straight will cause an increase in penalty to AED 300,000
Third Offense: For the third or subsequent violation of the Emiratisation targets will cause companies to face higher to AED 500,000
Recently, a manager of a dubai-based company has been fined AED 100,000 after violating the Emiratisation rule by defrauding the Nafis programme of providing government support to Emiratis costing AED 5,000. The manager allegedly employed two female Emiratis using two work permits for a purpose that was not intended for its issuance.
2. Single-Use Plastic Ban
Plastic bags are one of the most problematic kinds of waste, as it takes decades to degrade and microscopic particles have been found inside the bodies of animals. Plastics are continuously polluting streets and waterways, as well as harming birds and marine life.
Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates started the year of 2024 by implementing a country-wide ban on the import, production, and trading of single-use plastic shopping bags, this specifically means that supermarkets that sell plastic bags for AED 0.25 should be stopped and move towards paper bags, or reusable bags.
Abu Dhabi’s June ban has already led to 87 million fewer single-use plastic bags being used which was a cut of about 90%.
This is all part of the national sustainability drive and in two years time, the plastic ban shall also cover other products like cups, plates, cutlery, containers and boxes which includes spoons, forks, knives, chopsticks, stirrers and straws.
3. Labor Market Make-over
MOHRE is on its goal to act and make things fair, clear, honest and neutral when it comes to labor rules. Disagreements between workers and employers in private sector companies that are amounting to less than AED 50,000 will be dealt with by the Ministry without the involvement of two parties.
This new dispute resolution has given MOHRE more authority than before, making it an ultimate decision maker for employment disputes below AED 50,000.
The United Arab Emirates continuously make amendments in their existing laws as well publishing new laws that can make the life of Emiratis more better. These new rules and regulations shall be followed by the people in the country to avoid legal troubles in the future.