Dubai initiative recovers $23m in unpaid wages

An initiative to ensure that workers in Dubai are paid their wages without default has recovered AED86m ($23.4m) in unpaid wages in the past year. The initiative has benefited thousands of workers in the emirate, according to Dubai Police. Commander General of the Dubai Police Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said in comments published by state news agency WAM that labour disputes are considered by police as "cases of security priority". "They are also the cases of humanitarian importance taught by pristine Islamic culture which makes it mandatory to do justice to the workers," he told WAM. The initiative has been assigned to the Temporary Workers Welfare Monitoring Department, which is affiliated to the Centre for Monitoring Human Trafficking Crimes. During last year the rate of labour dispute cases that led to the stoppage of work showed a steady decline by nearly 40 percent, WAM said. The major part of these cases were related to unpaid wages, while the claims for salary increments ranked second. Disputes over calculation of over-time wages were alson among the reasons for stoppage of works, figures showed. Arbitrary measures by employers, bad treatment, salary deduction, visa cancellation and similar acts also resulted in work stoppages, police said.