Q: The employee was being terminated due to the non-availability of projects (Project-based) but under unlimited contract. He has 32 days as an unused leave. Article 5 of the Labour Law mentioned that accrued annual leave shall be paid on the basic wage, while Article 79 mentioned that it shall be paid on the wage basis. Please give clarification on this to avoid disputes. Shall we pay him basic only or plus allowance? Thank you for answering!

Q: Hi, Good morning. Please advise how many annual leave days a person is eligible in UAE? Is it working or calendar days? Our company is off during Friday and Saturday and I wanted to take annual leave on Thu (Dec.20) and I will rejoin on Dec. 23 (Sunday). How many annual leave days should be deducted from me? Another scenario, if I went for annual leave from Dec. 20 (Thu) until Dec. 23 (Sun) and will rejoin on Dec. 24, how many days should be deducted from me? Thank you so much for your help.

Q: I have resigned from my current job and my last day is May 9th after a notice period of 2 months. I was employed for 4 years. My employer has paid me a full year housing allowance and would like to deduct the remaining months from my end of service. Is this allowed? I have not been made aware that the amount would be deducted in case I resign. Also, I am entitled to 30 days of leave per year. Since I have resigned, they have applied a pro-rata for this year for the end of service calculation. Is this allowed? Shouldn't I be compensated for the 30 days that I have not taken? Thank you!

Q: Dear sir/madam, Annual leave salary calculation as per the new labor law. Can you please clarify the correct annual leave salary rules? Some say it is basic + HRA for the month you will take off, others say it is full salary, and somewhere I read it is basic + HRA (annual leave salary) plus the normal salary you get. Can you please clarify? Thanks for your valuable time and kind assistance!

س: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله، نما لعلمي أنه تم تعديل قانون العمل الإماراتي. لدي سؤالان: 1. في حال أكملت سنة مع الشركة التي أعمل بها، هل يتم احتساب أجر الإجازة السنوية وفق الراتب الأساسي فقط أم من الأجر الكامل؟ 2. في حال تغيير قانون العمل وتغيير بعض البنود، هل هذه البنود تُطبق فورًا وتتغير البنود القديمة أم يبقى الحال كما هو عليه لحين الحصول على عقد عمل جديد أو تجديد عقد العمل؟

Q: Dear Sir, Our company is practicing paying only the basic salary for our Annual Leave. Is it possible to claim my full salary during my Annual Leave and how can I do that properly? Hope someone can assist me. Thank you.

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.

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.

This Decree sets the rules and conditions for the termination of fixed-term (limited) or unlimited (not term-bound) employment contract between employer and worker in the United Arab Emirates.

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).