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Dubai: Labour protests have declined noticeably after the launch of Dubai Police's free hotline for labour complaints, a senior police official has said.
Major Arif Baqer, Acting Director of Dubai Police's Human Rights Department, said the hotline 8005005 launched in October last year, helped solve a number of labour complaints and decreased the number of labour protests.
"When the hotline was launched, it used to receive 10 to 20 calls a day, but the calls had declined to between 5 and 10 or less," Major Baqer said. Dubai Police had launched the hotline in October following increasing number of labour protests against unpaid wages.
Major Baqer said most labourers here do not understand clearly the terms of their labour contracts.
"Many agents bring labourers here on big promises, and when the labourers arrive here the reality is different and they get a shock," Major Baqer said.
He said this forces the labourers to protest because the agents promise something, while the contract clearly states something else.
"A labourer must understand his rights and duties as stated in the contract. When it comes to unpaid wages, we give the labourers wholehearted support," Major Baqer said.
He said the hotline is one of the many channels that offer help for labourers. Other channels of help available for them are the Labour Ministry and the Permanent Committee for Labourers.
The hotline, which is connected to the Dubai Police Operations Room, received 219 individual complaints since its launch until June this year, Major Baqer said.
On receiving a labour complaint, a team from the Human Rights Department visits the scene and settles the issue with the company peacefully.
"Until the end of April this year, we had visited 89 companies, solved group complaints of 36,046 labourers and were able to make the companies pay Dh30,623,375 in unpaid wages to the labourers," Major Baqer said.
Major Baqer said the tough government procedures against companies that violate labour rights is one of the reasons behind the decline in the number of labour protests. The speed with which the government machinery has also helped in bringing down the violations.
"Labourers are now confident that there are parties who will help them get their due rights," he said.
Major Baqer said they have not faced any difficulties in solving labour complaints as the companies were cooperative.
Several parties are involved in the process of settling the cases such as the Economic Department, the Labour Ministry, the Human Rights Department and the Permanent Committee for Labourers. He said if they receive labour complaints from other emirates, the department contacts the concerned parties in those emirates to solve the problems.
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