Q: I was employed in January with a 6-month probation period. My employer terminated the contract, with the notice period set to expire on 22 April. They are withholding my March and April salaries as they have advanced an accommodation allowance for 6 month's rent. They want me to return the balance of the rent that they have paid from the end of my notice period. They have now proposed to deduct the rent balance from March and April salaries which would leave me with a salary of AED 1,500 for the two months. Can they do this?

Q: I am on unlimited contract with my company and this is the 3rd month but if the company terminates me within probation period stating that my performance is not good then do I need to repay the company for visa air tickets and training cost??? During recruitment, the company has got my signature stating that if I leave the company before 3years, I have to repay them visa, airfare and training cost. Please advise me.

Q: I work for the Ministry of Education and my wife works for Etihad Airways. I get a housing and my wife received a housing allowance from her company. We recently applied for a bigger apartment at my company. I received an email yesterday saying that we have to evacuate our apartment because I am not eligible for the housing anymore as she receives an allowance from Etihad. Etihad Airways HR told us that this only applies if I work for Etihad as well. My company says they are government and therefore I am not allowed to get an allowance. I researched and found out that Etihad is government owned but not funded or operated. How should I approach this and can they just kick me out on the street with a pregnant wife and an 18-month-old baby? I felt that the email was sent in a threatening way.

Q: Thanks. Just one more doubt. My company has incurred some penalty for an order executed 3 years back, and now, when they received the payment they received after deduction of penalty. I was only a part of the delivery but the one in charge overall was our project manager who was taking care of that project and he was in charge of getting the delivery date extended from the customer. Since our project manager is not there in the company as he left the company, and I was under the supervision of the project team only taking care delivery, can the company subject me to penalty and hold my gratuity?

Q: Hi Hari, Good morning! I have been working for a consultancy firm as a civil engineer/ limited/ 12000 salary. My company is not paying me since December 2018 and deducting 3000 from my salary every month since June 2018. I was on a parenting leave for 10 days in Feb. 2019. After I came back, the company asked for my passport. I refused. They stop my work and payment until the time of this question. Please guide me considering the minimum time required: how will I get my payments and rights? I am waiting for your kind reply, please.

Q: Good morning, I have been working for a consultancy firm as a civil engineer/ limited/ 12000 salary. My company is not paying me since December 2018 and deducting 3000 from my salary every month since June 2018. I was on a parenting leave for 10 days in Feb. 2019. After I came back, the company asked for my passport. I refused. They stop my work and payment until the time of this question. Please guide me considering the minimum time required: how will I get my payments and rights? I am waiting for your kind reply, please.

Q: Hello, Can an employer withhold end-of-service pay by citing accommodation was provided? The employer allowed me to stay in a residence under his authority for 9 years, with a one-year contract and rent paid. However, as no Ejari was made, we continued to stay, and the employer stopped asking for rent for 8 years. Now, seeing that I may retire soon, he has started asking for rent for the past 8 years to avoid paying the end of service owed for my 25 years of service. Is this legal, and what can I do?

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.

This Decree sets the rules and conditions for the termination of fixed-term (limited) or unlimited (not term-bound) employment contract between employer and worker in the United Arab Emirates.

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).