Q: Recently, there was a change in the management of our company and my new manager didn't like the way I look. He told me about it and warned me that next time I will be fined. After a week or so, I received a notice that I'm fined of AED 500 for the unprofessional appearance. I work for the company for a long time and I've never had such a kind of complaints before. I believe that my appearance is appropriate. Moreover, there is no strict dress code in our company and I've never seen and never signed any papers in this regard. Does my manager have the right to decide how I look? Is this penalty legal? Do they have the right to deduct it from my salary?

Q: Sir, I am a Safety Officer of a construction project. My employer deducted AED 600 as a fine in last 3 months, and they have not informed me about the reasons nor have given any warning in writing or verbal.

Q: My employee went on approved annual leave for 2 months in November 2021 and was expected to return to duty by January 2022. But he returned only today after more than 5 months. As an employer, where do we stand in this matter? What disciplinary actions can we take against him? If we decide to terminate his services as a disciplinary action, what are the obligations to us? Please guide.

Q: Hello, I work for a company in the field of technical works related to interior decorations, and during my work, for technical reasons, some materials that belonged to the company and that we use in our work were damaged, and which should have been secured in a certain way. My coworkers and I were punished by deducting the value of the materials from our salaries, as the company deducted 15 days per month until the full amount was paid. The first deduction was made last month, which causes us a lot of harm, as it is difficult for us to face living with the remaining amount. We know that there was a mistake on our part and we agreed to the deduction, but the amount deducted monthly is half of our salaries, which is a very difficult matter. If we arbitrate the work and workers in the ministry, can the matter be settled on easy terms with the company, or will our request be rejected? With many thanks in advance!

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.

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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment termination without a valid reason in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. Ludmila discusses the aspects of termination, like notice periods, end of service benefits, arbitrary dismissal, unpaid salaries etc.

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).