ANOTHER STRIKE MEDIATED AND RESOLVED BY THE

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002083 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL AND EB/CBA STATE PASS OPIC/OPIC INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEPARTMENT FOR VIRGINIA GREEN AND HARVEY HAMBURG AMEMBASSY TUNIS HOLD FOR FSI: OLIVER JOHN USDOC FOR 4530/ITA/MAC/ONE/DGUGLIELMI, 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/CLOUSTAUNAU, 4500/ITA/MAC/DAS/WILLIAMSON, 3131/CS/OIO/ANESA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PREL PHUM PGOV SOCI CVIS TC SUBJECT: ANOTHER STRIKE MEDIATED AND RESOLVED BY THE LABOUR MINISTRY REF: A) ABU DHABI 1204, B) ABU DHABI 1240, C) ABU DHABI 1935 ¶1. (U) The local press reported that three hundred expatriate workers at an Abu Dhabi-based construction company gathered at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on April 28 to protest their employer's failure to pay salaries for more than three months. The Minister of Labor Matar Humaid Al-Tayer personally intervened asking the Workers Disputes Section to respond to the complaint. The employer was summoned to the Ministry and agreed to immediately pay one month's salary, promising to pay the rest of the wages in installments over a short period of time if the workers withdrew their complaint. The workers "asked for time to think about it and reply to the ministry" and selected representatives to negotiate with the Ministry and the employer. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: Work stoppages due to the failure of employers to pay wages continue to be mediated by the Ministry and receive significant press coverage. (See reftels A and B). Though the law does not technically permit laborers to conduct work stoppages/strikes, Ministry officials tend to react sympathetically, particularly in cases of non-payment of wages, and urge employees to go to the Workers Dispute Section with their problems. While these informal mechanisms for dispute resolution function adequately, the government is also moving forward with legislation to formally recognize unions and clearly define their roles. (See reftel C). Wahba