Q: I resigned from my job at a company in Aug. 2018 and completed my one month notice period, then joined a new company in November 2018. The reason for the resignation was that the company didn't pay the last 4 months' salaries. The company promised me that time they will pay my settlement and pending salaries later. They gave me only a total settlement paper mentioning my pending salaries and the final end of service settlement. Then I sent the company daily emails to clear my settlement and they only gave me AED 10,000 in January 2019. There's still a balance of AED 38,697 now. Can I file a complaint in the labour department against my company? Please advise if there's any other easy solution. Thank you.

Q: Hello I am currently working for a company registered in DMCC free zone. I have resigned and currently serving my notice period of 30 days, I still have 10 days left to serve. It seems the employer is delaying the process because he is not taking time to discuss the exit process nor the EOS. 1) If the employer delays or refuses to cancel/transfer the visa, what can I do? I need to cancel/transfer because of a new job waiting for me. 2) Is it legal for the employer to delay or stop the cancellation/transfer? 3) What legal measures can the employee take? Can the employee later file a complaint about the delay and claim damages related to a late start of work, which includes missed salary and work opportunity? 4) In case of disagreement on the EOS, can we still do the cancellation/transfer first, and later settle EOS separately (in order not to delay my new job starting date)? 5) The employer said that the EOS was paid as part of last year bonus? is it legal? Thank you in advance.

Q: Hi, We have an employee who has resigned and completed the notice period. We want to settle his dues however he disagrees on certain deductibles such as excess Etisalat bills made due to personal calls (international hometown), damages undergone to the vehicle and petty cash collection without authorized approvals. We have approached him and asked for clarification but he disagrees on any deductibles. Despite having evidence on clear information and asset tracking he denies on all deductibles. He has raised a labour complaint on us for settlement of dues. Need advice. He hasn’t now approached Labour Department and despite that we have discussed but he doesn’t seem to mutually settle. Since there isn’t anything in writing with Labour we have approached ministry to complain against him also. This is advice given by Labour Department.

Q: Facing EOSB issues with one of our employees, we have the below issues: 1. The employee has not been paid since Jan 2020. The total dues are 52k AED. 2. The manager handling these affairs has left the UAE. Our owner and a few other employees are at the DAFZA office. 3. The manager was asked by the owner to terminate the said employee in 2019, but he did not do. Now, the employee is claiming his EOS. 4. The employee had approached DAFZA in the past week and there has been no resolution to date and the employee is threatening to approach the labor court. 5. Also, the business is NIL due to corona aftereffects and no revenue to pay off the dues. 6. Do we stand a chance in contesting the case based on no revenue? The manager has run away and did not terminate the employee even after being asked to do? 7. What will be the consequences for not paying the employee if the labor court orders came in the employee's favor? 8. Is it advisable to settle the dues by paying advance initially & later amounts within a period of say 1 year?

Q: I am working for a company in Dubai since 2009. I am on an unlimited contract and planning to resign by the end of next month. The company is going thru financial issues for 6 years and the employee benefits are not settled for all employees who resigned in the last few years. I need your advice on how to begin the legal process and get the gratuity and other pending benefits from the company if I would have to proceed legally. I shall tender my resignation by end of Feb 2022. Also, would like to know the expenses incurred by me if I am moving forward legally by hiring a lawyer.

The UAE has adopted a major reform in its legislative system that brought about 40 new laws and amendments to the company law, criminal law, personal status, among others. The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, the labor law being one of these, was the most recent. We try in this article to shed light on the changes introduced with the new labor law and their significance on both, the employer and employee.

The provisions of this Law, known as "UAE Labour Law", govern the relationship between employers and employees and other labour matters in the United Arab Emirates. There are special labour related regulations applicable in some of the free zones in the UAE.

The provisions of this Decree-Law, known as "New UAE Labor Law", govern labour relations in the private sector of the United Arab Emirates. The New Labor Law repeals the previous UAE Labor Law (Federal Law No. (8) of 1980).