DUBAI, 24 July 2006 — Citizens of the United Arab Emirates are capable of proving themselves in any position once they are given the right opportunities and proper training, the country’s labor minister said yesterday, adding that the newly announced move to emiratize jobs of secretaries and human resource managers is aimed at increasing opportunities for UAE nationals in the private sector.
Speaking at a media briefing hosted by the Dubai Press Club, Ali Al-Kaabi said that it is not logical that 33,000 UAE nationals remain unemployed despite the private sector generating 600,000 jobs annually.
“The inaccurate perceptions about the productivity levels of UAE nationals come largely from the private sector. We invite the private sector to provide opportunities to nationals to help them contribute to the development of the UAE economy,” said Al-Kaabi.
He stressed that the nationalization process is not intended to harm the interests of expatriates currently employed as secretaries and human resource managers. The enforcement of the laws, he said, will not ignore the interests of private companies and their employees.
“Countries across the world give high priority to the employment of their own citizens. Governments are responsible for providing their nationals equal access to job opportunities in both public and private sectors. Being saturated now, the UAE public sector cannot employ the 14,000 high school graduates who are unemployed. Nationalizing secretarial jobs will help these graduates find jobs in the private sector,” added Al-Kaabi.
According to Al-Kaabi, there are 20,000 secretaries currently registered, with 9,000 of them earning monthly salaries of 7,000 dirhams and above.
Commenting on issues facing expatriate workers in the UAE, Al-Kaabi said that the Labor Ministry is keen to protect the interests of its workers and that the change in the working hours in the summer was an example of actions taken by the ministry in this regard.
The minister also said that the construction companies would be forced to set up air-conditioned halls near the worksites for the convenience of workers in compliance with a Labor Ministry order to ensure complete adherence to the mid-day break rule.
Khaled Al-Khazraji, undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor, who also attended the press conference, said that perceptions of extreme hardships faced by laborers in the UAE were exaggerated and based on unverified media reports.
As part of the “Summer Working Hours” awareness campaign Al-Kaabi visited the Burj Dubai work site on Saturday.
The tour was for a first hand assessment of how the companies are complying with the noon break rule. The minister personally distributed water and refreshing beverages, besides T-shirts and sun shields to the workers.
The Labor Ministry had earlier distributed posters and leaflets in several languages informing the workers of their rights and about the midday break rules.
