ABU DHABI: The UAE Government has introduced changes to the law concerning domestic workers to better protect the rights of everyone involved and make it easier to resolve disputes.

One of the key changes is that disputes related to domestic workers will now be handled by the Court of First Instance instead of the Court of Appeal. All ongoing cases will be transferred to the Court of First Instance without any fees, except those already awaiting a judge’s decision.

If a disagreement arises between an employer, a domestic worker, or a recruitment company, and they can’t resolve it on their own, the issue must be referred to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The Ministry will try to settle the dispute amicably. If that doesn’t work within a set timeframe, the case will be sent to the Court of First Instance with a summary of the dispute and the Ministry’s recommendations.

The Ministry can also resolve disputes directly if the amount in question is AED 50,000 or less or if one party fails to comply with a previous settlement. The Ministry’s decision in these cases will be legally binding, like a court order.

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If any party is unhappy with the Ministry’s decision, they can challenge it in the Court of First Instance within 15 working days. The Court’s decision will be final, and any challenge will pause the enforcement of the Ministry’s decision.