Q: I'm on a limited contract with a company in Dubai, I have been working since Jan 2011. My current labour contract will expire on 21 Jan 19 & my residence visa will expire on 3 Feb 19. I have informed my company not to renew my contract on 30 Dec 18 & want to discontinue working. Now, they say that I need to provide 3 months' notice for non-renewal of contract and wanted me to work until 31 Mar 19. Can you please advise  

Q: I was working with a company in Abu Dhabi since 2014 and successfully completed my 2-year limited contract. Now, I sent a non-renewal letter to my company after finishing my contract, but they are forcing me to sign one more contract and not releasing me by saying that I am supervising many projects and I cannot leave suddenly. It is very important for me to go back to my country and solve my personal problems. kindly suggest, what should I do? I have already booked a complaint against them in labour but I am worried that through labour dept. it will take time as my employer always skip court hearings. Kindly suggest and also correct me if I am wrong, do the employee in a limited contract need to give notice period before the expiry of work permit?

Q: Good Day Madam!! I am working in this company for the past 4.2 years. I sent my resignation letter through the mail on a Thursday evening, which is a weekend. But I have calculated my 1 month notice period from Sunday onwards. Is this resignation legally valid & accepted? 1 more important info; my previous contract got over on the 20th of Jan 2019. After I never signed a new contract. So as of now, I don't have an existing contract. Am I still subjected to the previous contract's terms & conditions?

Q: Hi Sir/ Ma'am, This is A. I work in a beauty salon in Dubai as a beautician since 2020 and my visa will expire on 15 January 2023. I don't want to renew my contract here in my current company because I have got a good opportunity in another company. According to my contract, it is written if I want to terminate my contract, I need to write a letter before 90 days. But I don't want to renew my contract here anyhow. So please suggest to me what I should do.

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.

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).