Q: I am here on a tourist visa. A UAE local who is a sponsor of a company owned by my boss has had a falling out. I am not connected to this business in any way. However, because I am connected with the foreign investor, the local has opened a criminal case against me. The allegations are completely unfounded, however, I am currently awaiting the prosecutor's verdict. I have a travel ban and my passport is being held by the police. Once found innocent, can I claim defamation of character and claim my losses, holidays missed, lost business in my home country as I have not been able to return and tarnish my reputation?

Q: I resigned from my position in October 2016. The company is threatening legal action for soliciting employees and starting my own business to compete with them. All false allegations. I have responded to their lawyers already but I wanted to know if I have a case against them as not all my contractual rights were honoured.

Q: Hi. I resigned from a company 8 months back but I didn't get my settlement and pending salary, and I was asked to sign the settlement paper for visa cancellation. Since I was about to join another company, I signed the paper and wrote an email to the HR saying that I'm yet to get my settlement when I left the company. It's been 8 months and I registered a complaint against them. They are saying that they will put a criminal against me saying that I stole materials and I used to get commission from suppliers and subcontractors, which is not true. From my side, I have two disputes even though I have not got any money from anybody and I have not stolen as claimed by them. 1. I was planning to start a business with one of my subcontractors and I abandoned that plan. My company is aware of that. 2. I accepted one of my subcontractor's invoice bill before the LPO was issued to them as instructed by my project manager.

Q: Good day, I am currently under a 2-year limited contract in Dubai, which began on March 17, 2022. I submitted my resignation on January 15, 2023, due to personal reasons, as I need to return to my home country. My employer replied on the same day that my resignation has been rejected. I will be serving my 2-month notice period, which will end on March 14, 2023, as stated in my resignation letter. I have also requested to have at least 10 days removed from my notice period, which can be deducted from my remaining leave credits. As of today, I have not received any update regarding my resignation, except for my direct manager replying to the rejection email from our HR department. - When will my notice period start? - Will I be liable to pay early termination compensation to my employer even if I serve my notice period? - Will I be entitled to a 1-year gratuity, since my resignation has not been acknowledged until now, and my notice period will end around my 1st year in the company? Kindly advise. Thank you!

Q: Hello Sir/ Ma’am, I worked at an automotive trading company, but due to personal issues, I had to resign. I served the proper notice period and left the organization in October 2023. After leaving my job, I offered an additional 5 days to assist if still they had any queries. Ten days later, I requested them to settle my Full and Final (F&F) dues and cancel my visa. However, I received no reply. After a final reminder, they informed me that I had to rejoin the company, or they would file a legal complaint against me. In response, I lodged a complaint with the labor authorities. When the labor department contacted my former employer, they filed a false complaint alleging loss and damage caused by me. I would appreciate your advice on how to handle this fabricated complaint.

An interview-format article covering the topic of the amendments to the company law in the UAE. 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.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.

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).