Abu Dhabi Labour Court hands dues worth Dhs230m to 18,597 employees

The Abu Dhabi Labor Court revealed that financial dues totaling Dhs230,210,771 (Dhs230 million) were paid to 18,597 employees during 2024, while the court’s adjudication rate of preliminary cases brought to it reached 99 per cent, reflecting the speed with which legal action was taken and labour disputes were resolved.

This came during a media forum remotely organised by Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on Wednesday via Microsoft Teams, marking the International Workers’ Day 2025. The forum was titled "Innovative initiatives to develop litigation mechanisms in Abu Dhabi Labour Court."

Counselor Abdullah Faris Al Nuaimi, President of Abu Dhabi Labour Court, stated that speedy adjudication of cases and ensuring that rights are preserved for their holders as part of administering justice is a fundamental goal of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

This is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to pursue excellence in providing judicial and legal services to meet the future aspirations and vision and support the competitiveness of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi worldwide, he added.

Abu Dhabi Labour Court was able to adjudicate 99 per cent of preliminary cases and 95 per cent of registered appeals, while it managed to complete 98.33 per cent of electronic requests within 48 hours with 100 per cent accuracy in session dates, he said.

Al Nuaimi pointed out that the court completed a number of development procedures over the past year to ensure rapid response and adjudication. These included restructuring judicial bodies in the Court of First Instance and enhancing the response to the delivery of dues to beneficiaries to one working day from the date the case was filed, he added.

Other procedures included adopting judicial classifications that are consistent with the nature of the complaint, activating proactive measures and precautionary reservations in collective disputes, opening a hall to educate employees about legal rights and duties and organizing awareness lectures for employees in labour cities and others for employers, he said.

Meanwhile, Counselor Ali Hassan Al Hashimi, Vice President of Abu Dhabi Labour Court, stressed the importance of proactive measures in dealing with collective bargaining cases.

These included strengthening communication channels with employees, providing official platforms for receiving complaints and suggestions and ensuring rapid responses and taking immediate corrective action when any malpractice or organisational issues are detected, while focusing on reaching amicable settlements of disputes before referring them to the courts, he said.