Q: I was a Project Manager for a company. After 9 years of my service, the company has terminated my services for the last 45 days (Because work is less & they want to downsize the staff strength). I don't mind going back to my country, but they are expecting me to sign an Arabic letter stating that all my dues are paid, for the closure of my visa which is getting over on 07.10.2017. Since the financial condition of the company is not good, they are not in a position to settle my gratuity & other benefits. They are not giving any clear-cut date on which they will settle my dues. My worry is that once I sign the Arabic letter & my visa is cancelled, I cannot continue in the UAE beyond 28 days after visa cancellation. I don't want to go against the company to pursue legal step, but at the same time, I am worried about my dues that I may be denied once I sign the Arabic letter & I am out of the UAE. Please advise what I have to do?

Q: Hi, Good day. I have been working with a company for 5 years and a half. Then I applied for my resignation (with a 1 month notice period as per my contract) and my service ended on June 30, 2018. A month after, my manager contacted me and asked me to sign some "pre-termination" paper. When I asked about my gratuity payment, He mentions that I can get it within a month or two and that if I still didn't receive it, I can still have grounds for complaint that I can submit to the Ministry of Labour. However, I still declined to sign any letter. They then just told me that they'll contact me if ever the cheque is ready. My question is: - Was my action right by not signing any papers considering I had no guarantee of receiving my gratuity? - Also, since I'm still looking for a job currently (and I want to settle things amicably), is it an option for me to simply just wait it out until they contact me again with regards to my cancellation and gratuity? Thank you and have a nice day.

Q: Employee Waiver Agreement, is it legal? Our employer did not pay our final salary and end of service gratuity. They demand that we sign this agreement, and if not, we were told we receive no money. After signing the waiver, the employer has not paid. It appears they never planned to pay. They planned to show the document in the court.

Q: How long must we wait for our End Of Service Benefits and cancelling of visa, and for the company to issue the flight ticket home? We received letters of 30 days' notice of termination of the contract. The contract ended on 18 October 2018. The company let us sign a letter of unpaid leave in case more work is received. We requested to leave the UAE. We are still waiting for our EOSB on unpaid days. We have company accommodation but no monies for living expenses. What must we do?

Q: Dear Mr Khalifa I have recently resigned from my company in Dubai where I have worked for over six years. Currently, I am serving the notice period up to 30th June 2019. I resigned on 11th June 2019 but my company is asking me to serve 30 days notice period. The reason for leaving is they are not paying me my salary on time which has now increased to almost three months. My dues include 3 months salary (April, May and June 2019), 6 years gratuity and 10.5 days annual leaves. The total amount due is around AED 115,000. When I asked my company to cancel my resident visa (which is already expired on 22nd June 2019), they have sent me the final settlement which states the following declaration: "I, the undersigned do hereby certify that I have received all my dues from my Company/Institution and I have no right to make any claim after this date." I told my company that the dues are not cleared yet, how can I sign this form? but they are saying that this form will not affect my dues. Please advise.

س: السلام عليكم، لقد اضطررت لتوقيع استقالتي قبل أخذ مستحقاتي. هل يمنعني ذلك من المطالبة بمستحقاتي طبقًا لقانون العمل الإماراتي؟ علمًا بأن عقدي محدد المدة ولم يتم إخطاري كتابة.

Q: My company discontinued the services of several employees including myself. I have more than one year and 2 months with the company. The question is, can they cancel my visa without signing the cancellation form?

Issue: An employee resigned from the job after working for 5 years, and signs a letter addressed to the employer that he wants his gratuity to be paid only after his customer pays the employer. Therefore, has the employer defaulted for End of Service (EOS) payment under the UAE Labour Law?

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.

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).