Natural Language
Status: Law in force
FED RES CAB No. 1 of 1977
UAE Official Gazette
Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 1977 concerning the regulation of work and social affairs
The Cabinet,
After reviewing the provisions of the Interim Constitution;
Law No. 1of 1972 concerning the Responsibilities of Ministries and the Powers of Ministers, as amended;
Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 1975on the Regulation of the Ministry of Social Affairs; and
Federal Decree No. 1 of 1977 on the Formation of the Cabinet; and
Upon the proposal made by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs; and
The approval of the Cabinet:
Has resolved the following:
Article 1
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs shall be competent in the domain of labour in general of the
organisation of labour relations in the light of the requirements of the realisation of the development objectives
and the creation of job opportunities and circumstances for nationals as well as providing professional training
for them and the drafting of the plans for meeting the future needs and the supervision of the execution thereof.
The Ministry shall also be competent in the domain of social affairs in general of the endeavour of society
development within the scope of the Islamic values and Arab traditions as well as the family care, child
protection, youth guidance and the elderly and in need cooperation and the combat of social ills and the
encouragement and support of cooperative societies and public welfare associations.
For the purpose of the achievement of the objectives thereof, the Ministry may practise the following:
First: In the Domain of Labour:
1. The proposal and preparation of necessary labour legislations.
2. The supervision on the execution of the labour legislations and the drafting of the regulations and
resolutions thereof.
3. The preparation of research, studies and programmes related to labour policy and the following up of
labour developments on the regional and international levels.
4. The undertaking of studies and statistics which determine local needs of the various skills among
craftsmen and artisans and the endeavour for providing thereof as well as the control of the employment
of non-nationals by way of the registration of workforce and the grating of labour licenses.
5. The cooperation with the Ministries and Competent Authorities in the domain of professional training for
raising the productive efficiency and the organisation of training courses for nationals and the control of
private training centres.
6. The contribution in the activities of Arab and International Labour Organisation and Authorities and the
following up of the resolutions and recommendations thereof and the study of the ability of benefiting
from them.
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7. Any other means deemed necessary by the Ministry for the realisation of the objectives thereof.
Second: In the Domain of Social Affairs:
1. The proposal and preparation of the necessary legislations in the domain of social affairs and the
supervision on the execution thereof.
2. The providing of social services for the society with the aim of the realisation of the stability thereof and
the cohesion and interrelation of the family.
3. The providing of care necessary for the child protection and the good bringing-up thereof.
4. The establishment of the professional training institutions and centres necessary for the care of minors,
orphans and children of unknown parentage, the blind, the elderly and the disabled and the supervision of
such institutions and centres and other private institutions operating in such domain.
5. The drafting of the plans and programmes necessary for the development of Bedouin communities and the
raising of their cultural level.
6. The encouragement of environmental and domestic crafts for the use of skills and raw materials existing
in the environment and for increase of the household income.
7. The cooperation with the various Authorities and Apparatuses operating in the domain of social defence
by way of providing protective measures for the prevention of deviation and for the rehabilitation of
deviants and the proposal of the programmes and measures necessary for the combat of alcohol and drug
addiction and other social ills.
8. The adoption of the measures necessary for dealing with the damages resulting from public and private
disasters.
9. The coordination of all efforts and programmes of social services provided by the various Governmental
and Private Apparatuses.
10. The encouragement and support of volunteering for social service and the increase of the level of services
provided by the Authorities operating in such domain and directing them to the best methods available for
the realisation of the objectives thereof.
11. The undertaking of social research and studies in line with the needs of the society and the assessment of
the results thereof as well as the organisation of social conferences and seminars.
12. The drafting of the plans and programmes of the workforce training in the domains of Governmental and
public social work and the assessment of the results of such training for increasing the level of
performance and creativity and reaching the best alternatives in execution operations.
13. The drafting and execution of professional training programmes for the disabled within the objective of
introducing them to the productive society.
14. The endeavour of spreading cooperative awareness with the aim of the advancement of cooperative
movement and lay the bases thereof.
15. The supervision on Local, Foreign and International Authorities and institutions which provide financial
or moral aids and operate in the domain of social care and charity in the State and take all necessary
procedures for the support of their efforts with the purpose of serving the society.
16. Any other means deemed necessary by the Ministry for the realisation of the objectives thereof.
Article 2
The Minister is the supreme head of the Ministry and he shall practise the following authorities and powers:
A. The proposal of the general policy of the Ministry and the supervision of the execution thereof after the
adoption thereof.
B. The supervision on the work progress at the Ministry and the issuance of the resolutions and directives
necessary in such concern.
C. The execution of the budget within the limitations of the allocations prescribed for the Ministry.
D. The representation of the Ministry at the Supreme Authorities of the State and before the National Federal
Council.
E. The communication with the Arab and International Authorities and organisations and the representation
of the State in regional and international conferences in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
F. Any other powers stipulated by the Laws and regulations.
Article 3
The activities of the Minister’s Office shall be undertaken by a director who shall be directly subordinate to the
Minister and he shall be responsible for the organisation of the confidential files and the correspondences of the
Minister as well as the minutes of the meetings and the resolutions of the Cabinet and the minutes of the
meetings of the National Federal Council and the following up of any issues published or broadcasted in
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relation to the activity of the Ministry and requesting the necessary data from the various directorates and
presenting them to the Minister and referring the complaints submitted to the Minister to the Competent
Authorities for the consideration thereof and the notification to the Minister regarding the procedures taken in
such concern. Such director shall also execute all the orders and instructions issued thereto by the Minister.
Article 4
The Undersecretary shall be competent in assisting the Minister in the running of the Ministry Apparatuses, the
disposal of the affairs thereof, the execution of the policy prescribed for the Ministry and supervise the proper
work progress therein. All the directorates of the Ministry shall be directly linked to the Undersecretary who
shall coordinate among them and he shall be responsible for his actions before the Minister. The Undersecretary
shall, in specific, practise the following powers:
A. The proposal of the regulations necessary for the guaranteeing of the proper work progress and the raising
of the performance level in the Apparatuses of the Ministry and the presentation thereof to the Minister
for the issuance of the resolutions necessary in such concern.
B. The consideration of the proposals and recommendations submitted thereto by the Apparatuses of the
Ministry and the presentation of the appropriate ones to the Minister.
C. The signing of the transactions issued by the Ministry in the exception of such transactions which fall
within the responsibility of the Minister.
D. The revision of the Ministry draft budget after the preparation thereof by the Competent Apparatuses at
the Ministry and the presentation thereof to the Minister before referring it to the Ministry of Finance.
E. The undertaking of any other responsibilities assigned thereto by the Minister.
Article 5
The organisational structure of the Ministry shall be composed of the following:
1. Labour Department chaired by a Director General.
2. Social Affairs Department chaired by a Director General.
3. Financial and Administrative Department chaired by a Director.
4. Planning and Follow-up Directorate chaired by a Director.
The Director of each Department and Directorate shall be liable for his actions before the Undersecretary.
Article 6
The Departments stipulated by the preceding Article shall include the following directorates and sections:
First: Labour Department, including:
1. Employment and Training Directorate: which includes:
a. Employment Section.
b. Contract and Authorisation Section.
c. Training Section.
2. Work Permit Directorate: which includes:
a. Entry Visa Section.
b. Card Section.
c. Verification and Control Section.
3. Inspection Directorate: which includes:
a. Labour Inspection Section.
b. Industrial Security Section.
c. Labour Research Section.
4. Labour Relation Directorate: which includes:
a. Collective Dispute Section.
b. Individual Dispute Section.
c. Sponsorship Cancellation and Transfer Section.
Second: Social Affairs Department: including:
1. Social Security Directorate: which includes:
a. Financial Aid Section.
b. Productive Aid Section.
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2. Social Development and Care Directorate: which includes:
a. Social Development Centres Section.
b. Societies Section.
c. Care Institutions Section.
3. Cooperation Directorate: which includes:
a. Registration and follow-up Section.
b. Awareness Section.
Third: Financial and Administrative Affairs Department: including:
1. Financial Affairs Directorate: which includes:
a. Budget Section.
b. Revenues and Expenses Section.
c. Warehouses, Purchases and Transport Section.
2. Administrative Affairs Directorate: which includes:
a. Personnel Affairs Section.
b. Public Relations Section.
c. Register and Printing Section.
Article 7 Labour Department Competencies
The directorates of the Labour Department with the various sections thereof shall undertake the following
competencies:
1. Employment and Training Directorate:
a. The Employment Section shall be competent of the registration, calculation and classification of the job
applicants and the nomination thereof for suitable positions and it shall also be competent of the collection
of the data related to job market and workforce.
b. Contract and Authentication Section shall be competent of revising the employment contracts in relation
to legal aspects and appropriateness and the authentication thereof.
c. The Training Section shall be competent of steering and following up the execution of the policy of
professional training and controlling private training centres and coordinating between such centres and
the public training centres as well as cooperating with the entities related to such domain with the aim of
raising the technical level for the supporting of productive efficiency.
2. Work Permit Directorate:
a. The Entry Visa Section shall be competent of examining the entry working visa applications for
non-nationals and approving such applications corresponding to local needs upon the information and data
submitted by inspection delegates of this Section.
b. The Card Section shall be competent of granting working cards for registered employees permitted to
work in the State.
c. The Verification and Control Section shall be competent of revising the documents related to working
permits and cards and verifying the soundness of permit and card issuance upon such documents and
following up their validity.
3. Inspection Directorate:
a. The Labour Inspection Section shall be competent of conducting periodic inspection on establishments for
monitoring the execution and application of Labour Laws, resolutions and regulations. It shall also be
competent of guiding employees and employers and providing them with the information and instructions
which may help them in applying labour legislations properly.
b. The Industrial Security Section shall be competent of monitoring the execution of the professional safety
procedures and providing protection gears for work injuries.
It shall also be competent of guiding employees towards the preservation of machinery and proper use
thereof and protect it from being damaged by deeming such machinery as a national wealth.
c. Labour Research Section shall be competent of conducting periodic field studies and research which give
a realistic image of the job market in relation to the needs and workforce volume, productive efficiency,
wage development and impact thereof, labour disputes and extent thereof and the soundness of the
application of Laws and defect aspects thereof.
4. Labour Relation Directorate:
a. The Collective Dispute Section shall be competent of adopting all measures which guarantee the stability
of collective relations and examining claims and collective dispute settlement as well as replying to the
inquiries and grievances which are submitted in such concern and following up the activities of the Peace,
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Reconciliation and Arbitration Committees.
b. The Individual Dispute Section shall be competent of studying individual complaints and endeavouring to
settle them and adopting all such measures necessary in such concern in accordance with the Law.
c. The Sponsorship Cancellation and Transfer Section shall be competent of following up the cases of
non-national employees whose contract durations have expired or who obtain waivers from employers
and conducting all necessary procedures concerning them in accordance with the Law.
Article 8 Social Affairs Department Competencies
The directorates of the Social Affairs Department with the various sections thereof shall undertake the following
competencies:
1.Social Security Directorate:
a. The Financial Aid Section shall be competent of examining repeated or urgent social aid applications for
verifying the availability of conditions required by Laws and resolutions for the entitlement thereof and
submitting the necessary recommendations for Competent Authorities.
b. The Productive Aid Section shall be competent of aiding families, benefiting from social aids, to develop
their economic situation by way of training the members of such families for jobs which are suitable for
their abilities and examining the financial and technical needs necessary for their enterprises and
submitting the recommendations in such concern to the Competent Authorities.
2. Social Development and Care Directorate:
a. The Social Development Section shall be competent of supervising existing social centres and proposing
such centres needed to be established for the purpose of the realisation of family development with special
focus on women and child care as well as coordinating with other institutions in the State with the aim of
the comprehensive development of the society and family guidance for the service of family relations and
the development thereof as well as supporting the proper social values and traditions.
b. The Societies Section shall be competent of the registration of public welfare societies in the ad hoc
register and supervising such societies and supporting their activities as well as detecting the problems
and needs of the society through studying the social practices of the members of such societies.
c. The Care Institutions Section shall be competent of supervising social education institutions for minors,
orphans and children of unknown parentage and the professional training centres and institutions of the
blind, elderly and disabled care.
3. Cooperation Directorate:
a. The Registration and Follow-up Section shall be competent of the registration of cooperative societies in
the ad hoc register and following up their activities for the purpose of the development thereof for the
realisation of the objectives thereof.
b. The Awareness Section shall be competent of the dissemination of cooperative awareness by way of
media and following up and studying the development of cooperative movements.
Article 9 Financial and Administrative Affairs Department Competencies
1. Financial Affairs Directorate:
This Directorate shall be competent of all such financial affairs related to the Ministry and the personnel affairs
therein and the sections of this Directorate shall, in specific, undertake the following:
a. The Budget Section shall be competent of preparing the draft annual budget of the Ministry.
b. The Revenues and Expenses Section shall be competent of monitoring payment and receipt vouchers and
the records, statements and registers thereof subject to the Law of Budget and the Directives prescribed in
the State.
c. The Warehouses, Purchases and Transport Section shall be competent of the organisation of the affairs,
maintenance and control thereof.
2. Administrative Affairs Directorate:
a. The Personnel Affairs Section shall be competent of preparing and keeping the registers and files of the
personnel at the Ministry and undertaking the procedures related to their occupational status.
b. The Public Relation Section shall be competent of executing the programmes of invitations, seminars and
celebrations prescribed by the Ministry and preparing all the requirements thereof as well as receiving the
guests of the Ministry and the invitees and providing their comfort and transportation and escorting them
in their tours.
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It shall also be competent of supervising the printing and publication of articles, bulletins, magazines and
books issued by the Ministry and the distribution thereof to the concerned Authorities in the State and
abroad. Further, the Section shall be competent of accomplishing and following up the transactions of the
Ministry and the personnel thereof outside the Ministry Diwan.
c. The Printing and Registration Section shall be competent of receiving and distributing the
correspondences incoming to the Ministry and sending the outgoing correspondences as well as
distributing internal correspondences after registering such correspondences in ad hoc various classified
registers while keeping numbered and classified files which include copies of all such correspondences
and organizing them which may help referring to them when necessary and printing the papers and
memorandums of the Ministry and such that are referred thereto form the various Apparatuses thereof.
Article 10
The Planning and Follow-up Directorate shall be composed of the Planning and Follow-up Section, the
Statistics Section and the International Authorities, Organisations and Conferences Section. This Directorate
shall undertake, by its foregoing sections, the following competencies:
a. The Planning and Follow-up Section shall be competent of studying and analysing the statistical
information and data and the documentary reports regarding labour and social affairs cases and
conducting necessary research which complete such information on scientific and realistic bases and
coordinating with the concerned Authorities in the State for drafting the comprehensive national plans and
following up the execution of plans and projects adopted by the Ministry for monitoring the proper
execution and detecting obstacles in due time. This Section shall also be competent of assessing any
publication or broadcast regarding labour and social affairs issues and commenting to them and studying
and preparing the reports necessary for the training of employees.
b. The Statistics Section shall be competent of collecting and preparing statistical data related to the
Ministry’s work and activity.
c. The International Authorities, Organisations and Conferences Section shall be competent of preparing,
studying and preserving all information, research, documents and publications related to the affairs of
such entities.
Article 11
It shall be permissible, by a resolution of the Minister, to establish branch offices for the directorates and
sections of the Ministry in any other zones of the State in accordance with the requirements of work and the
Minister shall specify, by the resolution thereof, the competencies and responsibilities of such offices and the
entity to which such offices shall be subordinate.
Article 12
The Minister shall issue the organisational resolutions necessary for the work progress and proper performance
thereof.
Further, the Minister may establish or cancel any sections or branch offices or amend the competencies thereof
whenever necessary after the approval of the Cabinet.
Article 13
Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 1975 on the Regulation of the Ministry of Social Affairs and any provision in
conflict with the provisions of this Law shall be revoked.
Article 14
This Regulation shall be published in the Official Gazette which shall come into force from the date of issuance
hereof.
Signed
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Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan
Deputy Prime Minister
Issued in Abu Dhabi,
On 4 Jumada Al-Thani 1397 Hijri
Corresponding to 22 May 1977
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