Q:   I started working with a developer's hotels & resorts on Aug 17, 2015, as Director of Digital. They hired another Digital Director in early April. I was terminated July 28th. I have refused to sign the letter as I was going to Ireland that afternoon. I contacted them 2 days after and I advised that I would sign the letter based on the following:       * Full payment of 30 days notice & holidays owed.       * Full payment of yearly bonus, which, unfortunately, I had to learn after the payment of bonus to other staff members management did not approve. No reason was given for this.       * Payment of value of flight home per year of completion of 1 year.       * Payment for flight changes in December 2015 as per management request - AED 4K.       * Gratuity payment as per UAE employment law.No response has been forthcoming.       Am I better to go legal and just deal with them directly through a legal team? Should I go to Ministry of Labour?       Any advice on a good employment law specialist would be most grateful.    

Q: Is it possible to terminate a 2-year-contract after one year due to low performance? The contract states that only reasons stated in article 120 Labor Law apply.

Q: Good day, My company is about to close and I have worked just for 6 months. My boss speaks of sending me back to my country because he is closing the company. I signed a 2-year contract with the company and I don’t want to go back to my country. I want to look for another job, what can I do?

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.