Q: I am a manager in a UAE company, I have served 2 years on an unlimited contract. I have been instructed I am on unpaid leave for a 3-month period in light of the current situation. The company is asking me to sign an annexe to my contract that I accept this unpaid leave period. If I do accept, can I still resign during this 3-month unpaid leave period if I get another job?

Q: I've been working in a company in JLT under a limited contract for a year and a half. Due to the current pandemic, I was asked to sign a letter stating that I am going on unpaid leave for 5 months which I did not sign. I did explain via emails that I can not accept to live without any income for 5 months. I said that I accept salary deductions. I did not hear from them except that they are waiting for my signature for unpaid leave. I will most probably have to leave Dubai because I can not afford anymore to live here. What are my rights in this case? Can I resign because I haven't received a salary last month? Am I entitled to any end of service benefits in this case? Am I obligated to pay any penalty because I am resigning under a limited contract? What can I do if I don't hear from them by the end of this month or if I don't receive anything at the end of the month? Thank you!

Q: Dubai companies are reassessing their staffing levels during the Covid 19 outbreak. Is it legal to be asked to take unpaid leave?

Q: Hi. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, I have been on unpaid leave since 14th March. I received half a salary for March and nothing since. The unpaid leave was not mutually agreed and didn't sign any document to say that I agreed. The company basically just shut the office doors to all staff. However, when on the MOHRE app in the WPS section, it says I have 0 payment pending for April and May. Is there any way my employer would have been able to adjust my salary to 0 with the MOL without my consent? Thanks

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: Hi, I am working as an Engineer in a free zone company in Studio City, Dubai, since 2019 till date. My visa is issued in Abu Dhabi. From March 2020, they cut down my salary & issued a letter stating that my salary has been cut down from April-20 to Aug-20 by 25%. But even after August 20, they did not only pay me my initial salary but my salary was cut down a lot more and irregular. The total pending is about AED 95,000+ to be received to date. Also, the company did not pay for insurance renewal and I was forced to take my own medical insurance for myself & to sponsor my wife's visa & insurance. I have decided to resign and cancel my visa immediately due to a new job offer. Is it better to raise the case while on their visa or after changing their visa? Within how many days should I raise a case after changing my visa and cancelling my work permit? Kindly provide your opinion on how to proceed. What are the chances that I get my pending salaries in full and gratuity?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Can we reduce the basic salary of an employee (UAE - MOHRE)?

This article discusses the Ministerial Resolution No. (279) of 2020 Regarding Employment Stability in the Private Sector during the Period of Application of Precautionary Measures to Curb the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus Issued by the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization in Abu Dhabi on 26/3/2020.

As the world is currently experiencing a major lockdown and suspension of almost all commercial and civil operations, the question arises in the novelty of Coronavirus outbreak on how serious it is to be dealt with as a Force Majeure.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment issues and laws during COVID-19 in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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).