[JURIST] United Arab Emirates (UAE) Labor Minister Saqr Ghobash on Tuesday announced new labor reforms [press release, in Arabic] to provide increased oversight on the thousands of employment agreements conducted with temporary migrant workers. Ghobash told reporters [AP report] that the new reforms will be rolled out in three government decrees that will take effect on January 1. The goal of the new reforms is to provide more transparency to the terms of employment in various labor contracts. Many rights groups have criticized the conditions of migrant workers within the country as they face issues of low pay and illegal confiscation of passports. The new reforms are intended to provide options for workers to understand how to sever ties with employers and seek other work within the region

In February Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported a series of labor abuses [JURIST report] UAE despite attempts at reform. The report detailed the exploitation of migrant workers building a high-profile cultural complex in the UAE that includes branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim museums. HRW acknowledged that governmental authorities had taken “positive steps” to improve working conditions for the migrant workers but said some workers involved in the project still faced abuses, including employers confiscating passports, withholding pay and benefits, and housing workers in poor accommodations. The report also noted that those who go on strike to protest conditions face deportation.