Q: Hello Ma'am, My name is H. S. and I am from India. I work in a hotel in Abu Dhabi and I have been to asked recently to leave the company due to the restructure in manning. They told me that I should find another job within the next 2 months and after that, I have to leave the place and my contract will end. I just want to know what are the benefits I am entitled to get before I leave.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Is it legal under the UAE labour law to dismiss someone for redundancy, in particular as this is not linked to restructuring, factory closure, business resizing...etc? Regards, EAM

Q: Good day, I have a question about my contract being terminated in the UAE. I was verbally informed of my contract being ended due to redundancy on 6th October with no requirement to work the notice period. There is a 2-month notice period in the employment contract. The written notification was only provided on 4th December. Company is refusing to pay gratuity and vacation during notice period with all calculations only being until 6th October. Is this calculation correct? How does the lack of written notification affect this as I would think the notice period should commence when that is received? Secondly, in the redundancy letter which was titled “Notice of redundancy,” it was called a “necessary restructure”. I have since found out that somebody else has been brought into my position but the job title has been changed. All reporting lines and work responsibilities seem to remain the same based on what I have heard from former colleagues. Would this fall under an arbitrary dismissal?

Q: Hi, I have received an employment termination letter due to company restructuring. This was done without prior notice, and I am currently completing a one-month grace period. I have not used any of my annual leave, and I have been working here for nine months. Could you please let me know what sort of compensation I am supposed to receive? Thank you!

Q: Hello, I received a termination letter from my company three weeks ago stating that the reason for my termination was company restructuring. This was done without prior notice, and my last working day is August 10th. I believe this falls under arbitrary termination. However, I do not want to file a case with the labor court and would like to discuss my compensation with HR directly. I have been working here for 10 months (so I will not receive gratuity), and I have not used any of my annual leaves since September 2022 (the month I joined). Could you please let me know what compensation I could demand from HR in this case? Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Mada, I work in a Free Zone as a Service Manager of a Facility Management company. I began working on December 1, 2008. On November 6, 2023, I received a termination letter from management citing restructuring, and they provided me with a one-month notice. As this is a termination, will I receive a termination payment in addition to gratuity? Regards,

Q: Greetings! I just want to ask for clarification. My company renewed my visa three months ago, but now I am being terminated because I am an existing staff member. This is because our department will no longer remain beyond the end of December 2024 due to a management change. The company informed me of my termination only four days ago, but I have a three-month notice period. Is it correct that if I leave before completing the three-month notice, I will have to pay a penalty? Or, since they are terminating me, am I entitled to complete the three-month notice period without any penalties? I just want to understand my rights regarding this situation. Thank you.

Q: My employer signed a visa renewal form at the end of my contract and now when 15 days are left in my residency expiration, they want to terminate me. What are my rights in this case? Can't they not terminate me and at the end of the contract just say that my contract is finished and we don't want you anymore? What about my notice period and what are my rights in this situation?

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 UAE government introduced the new Unemployment Insurance Law under the Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2022 Concerning the Unemployment Insurance Scheme for Unemployed People. The law aims at providing a sort of financial support in case of unemployment for a brief period, probably to help employees who got terminated find another job and avoid failing in other financial obligations.

There are laws and international conventions in place to protect workers’ rights and ensure their wellbeing. Specifically, under the UAE Labor Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021), there are established procedures for terminating employment contracts.

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).