Q: I recently ended up my contract with my employer because of a medical grounds. Actually, we don't have medical insurance, we are working 17 hours and I am not getting any assistance from the company. After submitting my resignation letter, my employer accepted it but requested me to leave the country then only after he will proceed with the cancellation. He finally agreed after a long period of negotiation. Now, the employment visa is cancelled and he forwarded me the residence cancellation where it's clearly mentioned that I have until 08 December grace period. I asked him to give me back my passport which he is keeping it since I started working for the company and he refused, saying that only on the 19th Jan in reference to my flight date which is 20th of January. In between, I received an offer with three times the salary I used to get and a lot of benefits including health insurance. As per the labour law, does he have the right to keep hold of my passport even after cancellation of my employment visa?

Q: Hi. I am working in the client side and my company did not say during joining I have to work 6 days in a week, 5 days at the client side and 1 day in office. My client is working only 5 days. I did not read the full offer letter while signing, as I assumed that office time will be the same as the client's side. I am working on a 6-month contract, renewed basically. Now, they are calling me every Saturday to do work for him only. I don't want to do this. Now, my visa is stamped, after 2 months working. Please help me out, how can I convey to them not to call me on Saturday? Or how can I take the help of the labour office in this case?

Q: Hi. I am working on the Food and Beverage industry here at Dubai and this coming Ramadan our employer issued a schedule with 8-hour working time and no break. Is this legal? Thank you! P.

Q: Hi. We're working for 10 hours on regular days, with 30 minutes break. Our schedule for normal days is 10:30 am - 2:00 pm and we'll come back at 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm. For Ramadan, it's still the same - 10 hours. Our employer issued a working schedule of 11 am - 9 pm with a break of around 30 minutes in it. Is this legal? If not, what can we do with this? Thanks, N

Q: I am working in Ramadan 10 hours, 6 days a week. Is this legal?

Q: My company is asking us to do 9 hrs. duty this Ramadan starting last 8th of April 2023 without overtime pay. And no one from my colleagues wants to complain as they are scared of what might happen. Just today, my showroom manager is asking me to extend until 12 pm when I started my duty from 10 am and I am fasting. What can I do?

Q: Dear colleagues, Ramadan is approaching, and we have set a total of 6 working hours with a 1-hour lunch break. One fasting employee is questioning why they should have a 1-hour lunch break, as it makes the total hours 7 instead of 6. Please advise on what the legislation says. Thank you so much!

An interview-format article covering the topic of filing an employment court case 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.

Ramadan is a time of greater devotion and spiritual reflection for Muslims all across the world. Ramadan is observed with a distinctive fusion of modernity and tradition in the United Arab Emirates, a nation that takes pride in its rich Islamic heritage. Understanding Ramadan etiquette in the UAE is crucial, regardless of whether you are a guest experiencing this unique season for the first time or a longtime resident.

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.

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).