Questions & Answers
Can two family members benefit from government housing allowance?
I work for the Ministry of Education and my wife works for Etihad Airways. I get a housing and my wife received a housing allowance from her company. We recently applied for a bigger apartment at my company.
I received an email yesterday saying that we have to evacuate our apartment because I am not eligible for the housing anymore as she receives an allowance from Etihad. Etihad Airways HR told us that this only applies if I work for Etihad as well.
My company says they are government and therefore I am not allowed to get an allowance. I researched and found out that Etihad is government owned but not funded or operated.
How should I approach this and can they just kick me out on the street with a pregnant wife and an 18-month-old baby? I felt that the email was sent in a threatening way.
Dear Questioner,
Your employment contract terms must be respected by you and your employer. Also, your employer's internal policy and guidelines that you have accepted by joining their forces.
This means that you have to look for such terms in your employment contract that enable you to benefit from the housing allowance and demand your rights as per such contract!
However, in case your employer's internal regulations regarding housing allowance say clearly that you - as a family - cannot be paid twice for such a benefit even if you work in two different entities you will have to obey.
My recommendation is that you should request a meeting with the HR and ask for a written regulation proof to their email message.
On the other hand, as per the UAE Labor law, the employer has the sole discretion and right to amend the allowances whenever deemed necessary.
I would highly recommend you to seek legal advice before you sit down with the HR.
If you may need any further help please get in touch with me through ae@elnaggarlegal.com
Ahmed Elnaggar
