Q: Hi. I am working in Umm Al Quwain as a sales assistant, and I hold JAFZA visa. I joined one month ago now I have resigned. The company is telling me that my notice period is 90 days. I am still in probation period, and the offer letter which I have received states that the notice period is 30 days. Please help.

Q: I worked for a Federal Government entity in the UAE; this entity was created by special decree so it doesn’t have a normal trade license or Labour contracts from MOL. Instead, we have signed employment contract which states it is governed by Labour Law of 1980, other federal laws and will be in the jurisdiction of Abu Dhabi. My employment visa is from the emirate of Dubai as the entity also had a branch in Dubai. I recently resigned from my job serving 3-month notice as mandated by the HR policy. My resignation got accepted within a day and I was advised that this day would be last working day, and my notice period has been waived off. I was just short by 15 days in completing 3 years of my service, and I had planned by cash flows assuming I would be getting paid for the next 3 months. Now, I am in a very bad situation as the employer is insisting I am not legally entitled to 3 months pay. I need your urgent advice on the matter as the Labour Ministry cannot get involved due to the absence of labour contract.

Q: If there is a contradiction between the offer letter and labour contract issued by a free zone, which one takes precedence? Offer letter states 30 days' notice period during probation, labour contract states 7 days. Which one will be upheld?

Q: There it is an unlimited contract in a free zone. The main employment contract states that the employee should render not less than 30 days' notice. However, an addendum has also been signed by both parties stipulating that the employee should now render a notice for 3 months. In such a case, which document must be followed, the employment contract or addendum?

Q: I was the CEO of a private office & group of companies owned by one of Abu Dhabi Sheikhs. My visa was issued for the private office and it was for three years. We both signed a special employment agreement. The agreement was not filed or approved by the Labour Department. I had no labour card. Also, my payroll was not paid through the Wages Protection System of the Labour Department. Does the labour law apply to any dispute with the employer or we should see the provisions of the employment agreement?

Q: A Jafza employee is on probation and has not completed his notice period. He is asked to leave without completion of the probation period. The offer letter specifies that either party may leave on a single-day notice. To support the employee as per Jafza rules, will the employee qualify for any notice period pay + claim on leave credit? The employee will not have any job in hand, in this case, how does the Jafza law protect the employee?

Q: Hello, I am working in a private company in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE with a Freezone visa. I want to know the legal point of view about the notice period. I got a better opportunity to grow in my career and I am ready to serve 30 days notice period and the balance I agreed to pay. However, my current company is insisting to serve 60 days' notice whereas my new company will not wait for 60 days. They can wait up to 35 days maximum. In my contract with Freezone, the notice period is blank however there is an internal memo that I have acknowledged for 60 days notice period, so I want to check the legal point of view in this matter.

Q: Dear sir/madam, I have an employment contract with a company that's located in Jebel Ali Free Zone, while my work location is permanently outside of the UAE. My employers tell me I have no rights under UAE employment law as my contract is "International". They will not answer which country or laws my contract is subject to. Can anybody advise if I have any UAE employment rights at all? And if not, which rights might I be covered by? Thank you!

Three new ministerial decrees containing a new set of rules for the labour market were issued by the UAE Ministry of Labour last year and came into force on the 1st of January this year. The decrees are expected to alter the contractual relationship between employers and workers in the UAE.

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).