Q: Hi. I am working in Umm Al Quwain as a sales assistant, and I hold JAFZA visa. I joined one month ago now I have resigned. The company is telling me that my notice period is 90 days. I am still in probation period, and the offer letter which I have received states that the notice period is 30 days. Please help.

Q: I have been working in JLT free zone (DMCC) company. As per my employment contract with the company, the notice period is 90 days. However, as per the law, the notice period is 30 days. Could you please advise me which period will prevail in this case?

Q: On an unlimited contract which says 3 months notice, the employer has taken in writing 6 months notice separately. My friend gave notice. 4 months passed and he wants to leave the UAE urgently. The employer is holding his passport and not releasing it. If the employer gives a labour ban, no problem, but he wants to avoid a travel ban. What are the options?

Q: Hello, I am working in a private company in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE with a Freezone visa. I want to know the legal point of view about the notice period. I got a better opportunity to grow in my career and I am ready to serve 30 days notice period and the balance I agreed to pay. However, my current company is insisting to serve 60 days' notice whereas my new company will not wait for 60 days. They can wait up to 35 days maximum. In my contract with Freezone, the notice period is blank however there is an internal memo that I have acknowledged for 60 days notice period, so I want to check the legal point of view in this matter.

Q: Dear sir/madam, I have an employment contract with a company that's located in Jebel Ali Free Zone, while my work location is permanently outside of the UAE. My employers tell me I have no rights under UAE employment law as my contract is "International". They will not answer which country or laws my contract is subject to. Can anybody advise if I have any UAE employment rights at all? And if not, which rights might I be covered by? Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Please advise on the regulating authority for real estate free zone companies in Ras Al Khaimah. Where can one file a complaint about a real estate job without resorting to court action?

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).