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: Hi ma'am, Good Day! Hope you’re well! I got terminated from the company due to company restructuring and they gave me 1 month notice period. I’m under an unlimited contract, with a private company in Dubai. Which benefits I would get with this termination which I believe is wrongful dismissal? I hope you can help me! Thank you! Kind Regards,

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?

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.

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.

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).