Legal changes would ensure equal rights for Emiratis: FNC

Obaid Al Tayer, the Minister of State for Financial Affairs, at Tuesday’s FNC session. Ravindranath K / The National

ABU DHABI // Amendments to the pensions and social security law would ensure that all Emiratis enjoy equal rights regardless of their employment in the private or public sector, Obaid Al Tayer, the Minister of State for Financial Affairs, told the FNC on Tuesday.

Following FNC members’ questions about differences in pension caps between private-sector and public-sector retirees, Mr Al Tayer said amendments to the existing 1999 law would revise that.

FNC member Marwan bin Ghalita asked why a cap of Dh50,000 had been placed on private-sector retirees while the cap for their public-sector peers was Dh300,000.

“The amendments are in the welfare of nationals, the goal is equality between nationals working in private, local or government companies in rights and benefits,” Mr Al Tayer said.

FNC member Hamad Al Rahoomi asked Mr Al Tayer about his ministry’s belated responses to leaks that the amendments would not be beneficial for Emiratis.

Mr Al Tayer said he had made a clarification on the matter in his response to the FNC on March 10.

“Your council is thoroughly covered by the media … and the issue was clarified in front of your council during that session,” he said.

The General Pension and Social Security Authority later held a press conference where it answered all queries.

It also organised 11 workshops for the relevant government departments for further clarifications.

Mr Al Rahoomi presented slides that showed a failure to address the leaks for five months.

“There was a five-month gap,” he said. “During this time nationals said among themselves, ‘we will resign, we cannot wait until we reach 65’.”

Showing a government statement made in October, Mr Al Rahoomi said: “This should have been stated during the first week of the leak.”

On the issue of delayed payment of salaries to new retirees, Mr Al Tayer said the documents and employers’ procedures had yet to be finalised in many cases and that led to the delays.

For instance, as of September there were 92 cases with incomplete documents.

The minister said the authority had set a three-month deadline to resolve those cases.

Mr Al Rahoomi, however, cited the case of a woman in her fifties, “a known figure”, who called the radio show Al Bath Al Mubasher to complain. According to him, she said the payment of her pension was three months late and she had been borrowing money to support her family.

Mr Al Rahoomi said this was a scandal for the UAE given that the country saw itself as a pioneer in development.

At the FNC session on Tuesday, the council passed the Child Rights law after it approved amendments made by Sheikh Khalifa, the President.