Q: Hello Nicole, Greetings! I have been working in a private company in Dubai for the last 13 years under an unlimited contract. Recently, they have made my position redundant. I am now serving 3 months notice period as per the labour contract (2 months already served, I am now in 3rd and last month). My employer has put me on forced paid leave to adjust my notice period against leave days balance. I need some clarification per below, please. 1. The employer is paying me a full salary for a notice period of 3 months. However based on the recent announcement from the Ministry of Labor (for Private Co. employees), can my employer reduce my salary temporarily/permanently in this last month of notice period? 2. If the answer to question 1 is YES, how will it impact the calculation of my end of service benefits like gratuity or leave balance encashment? Will it be recalculated based on the revised (reduced) salary? 3. Am I eligible to claim any other Termination/redundancy pay apart from gratuity and leave balance encashment?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Greetings! I am working in a fit-out company as a project coordinator. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my company issued a letter stating that our salary is reduced by half. But the problem is that the company is showing a full salary in WPS and not issuing my salary cards. I requested them, not to do this, but in vain. I have bank loan payments and home rent pending. And unfortunately, I can't take any advantage of the UAE Government benefits in this crisis, because I don't have any salary slip to show I am getting half salary. I am very tense and afraid. Please advise me, how can I solve this problem? Thanks A. K.

Q: I was asked by my employer if I would take a reduced salary, to which I replied no as other employees in the company are receiving a full salary. I have now been paid a reduced salary without my consent; can you please advise me on what legal action I can take should it not be rectified?

Q: Dear Madam, Our management has decided to change the salary structure where we used to pay 60% of Gross Salary as Basic Salary. Now the management wants to change the basic salary of employees to 40% and the remaining amount to be included as other allowance. There will not be any decrease in the salary but there will be a change in the basic salary percentage, is this allowed in the UAE (Our company is in Dubai, a mainland company, sole establishment)? Is it legal to take this step? If yes, then under which article can the change take place? Do we need to settle gratuity based on the current basic salary and revise the contract or we can just change the basic as we are not reducing the gross salary? Please advise.

Q: Good morning, I work as a housemaid. My sponsor has given me until the end of this month to find another job. She says that she will keep my October and November salaries in case I don't find a job, and she will pay my return ticket with my salary. I would like to know what to do about this situation because I don't want to go back to my country now. I never signed a contract of employment and she did not give me a cancellation letter.

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).