UAE Government Amends Domestic Workers Law

The United Arab Emirates government has recently amended the Domestic Workers Law. UAE amended specific provisions to strengthen the rights of all parties involved in employment relationships, as well as facilitate and accelerate resolving disputes.

A significant change is that the new decree amends the jurisdiction for disputes related to domestic workers, transferring such cases from the Court of Appeal to the Court of First Instance. According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), the Courts of Appeal are required to transfer all pending applications, disputes, and grievances to the Court of First Instance as they are, without any fees, effective from the date the present Law takes effect. Notably, this does not apply to cases that have already been sentenced by the judge or held in the court's pipeline for sentencing.

Under the law, if a dispute arises between the employer, the domestic worker, or the recruitment company and cannot be resolved amicably, the issue must be referred to the ministry. If an amicable settlement is not reached within the designated timeframe, MoHRE is required to refer the dispute to the competent Court of First Instance. Additionally, MoHRE is also entitled to resolve disputes if the claim's total amount does not exceed AED50,000 or if the dispute involves one of the parties' non-compliance with a prior amicable settlement decision issued by the Ministry, regardless of the claim's amount.