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Labour cards will be cancelled and replaced by an electronic permit to be renewed once every two years in case the contractual relationship between the employer and employee continues, the Ministry of Labour announced here on Monday.

The programme will be implemented during the first quarter of next year. It intends to reshape the processes of issuing and renewing labour cards and labour contracts. The announcement was made at a Press conference by Humaid bin Deemas Al Suwaidi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs at the ministry’s office in the capital.

The project is in response to the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on switching to e-government to meet the needs and live up to the expectations of the applicants by getting the services, and in compliance with Emirates Programme for excellent government services, which focus on saving time and making effort less cumbersome for the customers, and the effective services provided to them.

He stated that Minister of Labour Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, who approved the project which was reviewed by the Policies Council at the Ministry, had called for simplifying the procedures and integrate with other government departments, as well as speed up in finalising the programme, as the two documents — the contract and labour card — are the key processes at the ministry where as many as four million labour cards and employment cards are issued per annum.

Under the new procedures, an employer should get a new electronic permit once every two years in case the contractual relationship with his respective employee continue, and he will have several options for receiving the electronic permits — through the smartphone apps, via the Labour Ministry’s website or at any of the Ta”sheel centres countrywide, Al Suwaidi said.

The Emirates identity cards can be used as official document which the employee can use in case it is requested to be produced by any government department. The e-link between the ministries of Labour and Interior as well as the Emirates Identity Authority and the integration of operations between them will make the project a success, and achieve its cherished objectives, he added.