Q: One of the employees was called by our GM to the office for a business review as he is under the performance improvement plan. He misbehaved during the meeting and was very disrespectful. It reached a level where our GM advised him to leave the laptop and access card followed by HR action. He further misbehaved and abruptly left the company. He went to the police station and registered a false allegation for abuse and assault. Thoughts, please.

Q: I was working in a company for the past 2 years. I was given the duty of processing visas for the staff and labours and also for licensing the company. So they used to issue payments to me. Due to doing the work through agents, very few receipts were submitted. But I kept a record of all the payments made and reported the same to the company on a day-to-day basis. Now, they have terminated my services and when I submitted my settlement dues, they said they need to do auditing for doubts of embezzlement, only after that they will pay my dues. Also, I heard from my colleague that they want to put a case against me so as to not pay me any money. The termination letter was served to me and mentioned no need for a notice period of 30 days. To win the case they will go to any extent and they are rich too. I have no records to prove my innocence. What should I do? I didn't lodge any complaint yet in the labour court.

Q: I was informed on the 20th that if I did not take another position in my company, a position that I am not qualified for and also not comfortable with, my employer would have no choice but to make my position redundant. This was sent to me over a WhatsApp message. On the 23rd, my employer gave me an official letter of termination saying that the company is now making financial cutbacks and that my position is a part of the reduction. I was appointed as an operations manager and there are actually 2 of us who work in the company, however, I am the only person who is being terminated. There is no record of disciplinary action against me either for the entire duration of my employment. I had asked that my employer to amend the termination letter stipulating that he is making my position redundant, to which they refused. What is the best way forward?

Q: I needed some information in regards to visa cancellation. One of our employees filed a false complaint with DDA (Dubai Development Authority) to stall the visa cancellation. He is not on our payroll since July 2019 and we are not able to cancel his visa because of his dependents. We have filed for absconding with MoL and is still pending as there is this an ongoing dispute. Can we file a case against the employee for defamation? He is trying to mislead the authorities and extort us.

Q: Hi sir, I am working in a government-owned company since 4 months starting from Dec 2019. In March, I was supposed to get 3 months' salary together (kept on hold by the company as per their rules) for which I had submitted my old FAB account details when I was working in Dubai earlier in another company. But the accounts department could not transfer the amount saying that they are not able to do so due to the merging issue of FAB & NBAD banks. After several communications with the bank, I finally decided to cancel the account and open a new account with another bank and then presented the new account details to the accounts department. On this, I was asked to get a closure certificate from FAB which I procured from banks. Meanwhile, the FAB account was canceled and I informed the accounts department with relevant proof. But the company is insisting to get NO Liability certificate from the bank for the closed account. I approached the bank and they completely refused to give no liability certificate for a closed account. Please help! Thanks!

Q: Hello Madam, My company is not paying salary on time. I have a pending of one and a half months. Whenever I ask for the salary, they do not respond to my emails and messages. Every two months only they pay me. Through the MOHRE App, the WPS section is empty. I'm not able to monitor my salaries. And I have a fear of getting all the money at the end of my service because my colleagues suffered a lot for getting payment from the company. They didn't get paid fully. How to handle this matter? Furthermore, my employer is holding my passport too. They informed me that they will provide it in case of vacation or resignation. What to do on this matter too?

Q: I have an LLC company. An ex-employee - with me for 12 years - is suing me in labor court. I told all my employees to leave in March 2020 when all events were canceled due to Covid as there was no money to sustain the business. He said he doesn't want to go back to Iraq with his wife and kids, so we agreed that he would do freelance work if any came in. In April 2021, he finally agreed to return to Iraq but kept stalling and then begged me in June to renew his visa - he said then they would feel safe if any trouble happened in Iraq to be able to return. I renewed his visa as a kind gesture to help him and he never returned to Iraq. Instead, he went to the labor dept at the end of December 2021 and claimed unpaid salaries for a year. The paperwork is not in my favor as it was not until the end of 2021 that I realized he was playing a game with me. Can I apply for liquidation as the owner of the LLC Economic Dept. license? I do not have the huge funds to pay what he is claiming.

Q: Hi there So yesterday I went through a mutual termination dismissal. I handed in the work laptop but I lost the charger. I asked the HR lady that from my final pay, they may deduct the amount of the charger and the laptop back which all amounts to R700. She emailed me that they are declining that arrangement. Does that mean they won't pay me my final pay? Or what does declining that imply?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My employee filed a labor complaint against my company to cancel his/her visa and pay the previous two months' salary, which we had already paid but do not have signed proof of. The employee did not give a formal resignation and complained without notice. The contract is limited, and the employee completed the probationary period. It has only been 6-7 months since the employment visa was issued. As a new business, it is a challenge for us to spend more money, and this employee was a waste of our time, effort, and money. How can we move forward with this legally?

When an employee or employer mentions legal issues related to their labour relationship, the first question to be raised is: do you have a limited or unlimited labour contract? We try here to shed light on the relevant provisions of the limited and unlimited contracts in the UAE labour law pertaining to resignation, termination of employment, notice period and calculation of the end of service benefits.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. In this article, Ludmila informs readers what they should do and where they should go if they have not been paid by their employer.

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).