The Ministry of Labour has announced that it will not be issuing new work permits to overseas workers or renew the current resident's permits if an employer fails to provide a signed unified contract starting 2016.

Humaid bin Deemas Al Suwaidi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Labour Affairs, said, "The new measures implement three new decrees issued by Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Labour, recently with regards to regulating the labour market, starting by unifying a contracts model approved by the ministry for all labour relations."

During a meeting held in Abu Dhabi, where 300 employers and government relations representatives attended, Mr bin Deemas reviewed the new measures the ministry is implementing to ease the process of extracting working permits for employees coming from outside or those residing in the country, while maintaining rights of both sides.

He pointed out that the new procedures of recruiting foreign workers from outside the country for a two-year work visa goes through three stages.

"Employers face a 14-day deadline to complete signature procedures following the workers entry into the UAE, if the worker complains of any delays then the ministry allows him to seek a new offer," bin Deemas said.

He said, "The electronic system of the ministry will not allow new job offers for workers following the initial approval stages, and replacing work permits will be treated according to specific procedures under issuing new work permit measurements."

Under the new measures, bin Deemas points out, "It's not mandatory to include a medical report with job offers, especially as today we are electronically linked with the public administrations of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, which does not issue workers with a residence visa with medical report."

Referring to contracts renewal process, bin Deemas said that the worker's signature is also a pre-requisite by the ministry, as it grants workers freewill, whether to renew the contract after accepting highlighted privileges and requirements or simply chose to end the relationship and find a better offer or move back home, something which bin Deemas believed establishes a healthy working relationship that ends misunderstanding between both parties.

The meeting was led by Saeed Al Kurmastji, Director of the Labour Office in Abu Dhabi, Hamad Al Nuaimi, Director of the Labour Office in Al Ain and Zahra Al Manhali, Acting Director of the Labour Relations Office in Abu Dhabi.