Q: Dear Sir, I have worked March 2008 to July 2011 in Mushrif National Construction LLC Central Market Project Souk - Abu Dhabi. My job designation was IT Assitant, my salary was Dhs 3200/- per month. Also, they have provided yearly two-way tickets and leave salary benefits. In July 2011 I went to India for long leave. The company terminated me on January 31, 2012. After that, they calculated my indemnity money Dhs 6044/-. Partly they have sent my pending salaries and my indemnity money, they have sent only Dhs 2000/- till now. They did not pay my balance indemnity money Dhs 4044/-. I have sent a lot of emails and mobile calls with no response from Mushrif National Construction LLC. Kindly please help.

Q: Hello. My employer is asking for 45 days compensation and it's a limited contract, I have worked for 5 months and I am under probation. I submitted my resignation and there was no mention of the penalty clause in the acceptance email. I replied saying I am in no position to pay the money and I can serve a notice. How do I get out of this situation without having to pay my compensation? Also, I would like to know if the compensation is on the basic salary.

Q: I recently ended up my contract with my employer because of a medical grounds. Actually, we don't have medical insurance, we are working 17 hours and I am not getting any assistance from the company. After submitting my resignation letter, my employer accepted it but requested me to leave the country then only after he will proceed with the cancellation. He finally agreed after a long period of negotiation. Now, the employment visa is cancelled and he forwarded me the residence cancellation where it's clearly mentioned that I have until 08 December grace period. I asked him to give me back my passport which he is keeping it since I started working for the company and he refused, saying that only on the 19th Jan in reference to my flight date which is 20th of January. In between, I received an offer with three times the salary I used to get and a lot of benefits including health insurance. As per the labour law, does he have the right to keep hold of my passport even after cancellation of my employment visa?

Q: Dear sir/madam, I came to the UAE in January for an employment contract based on a salary of 6000 AED per month as a research studies manager. Now I didn't get my job accommodation or transportation or anything they mentioned in the labor contract. Even they keep our passports also. I asked them, if you don't give me the job, give me my passport so I can go back home. They said if I want the passport, I have to pay for the company. It sounds like blackmailing. Please give me some advice. Thank you!

Q: Dear sir madam, Is it necessary for a company to keep holding my passport after termination?

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 an employer demanding to hold an employees passport. 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.

According to this Decree, tentative approval to admit a foreign worker for the purpose of employment in the UAE cannot be granted until an Employment Offer that conforms with the Standard Employment Contract is duly signed by the employee and presented to the Ministry of Labour.

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).