Q: Hi Hari, I am currently working in Abu Dhabi. I had an employment contract with a Dubai company and It has been more than 8 months so far since I resigned. I signed the settlement paper even though my settlement was not made. But I have a mail stating that I am signing this paper for cancellation and still yet to receive my dues. I registered a complaint against my old employer and they are telling me that they will file a criminal case stating that I stole materials, I got a commission from suppliers and subcontractors, which is not true. Please advise.

Q: My ex-employer filed a case against me that I owe the company 30k AED which is just a made-up story. I filed a case against his company for not giving the correct amount of my gratuity pay and I won the case in the court. Now after the decision, he made up a complaint that I owe them 30k AED which is not true. Now my question is: can I also complain against my ex-employer for making up a story that I owe him 30k AED and doing this to me as harassment? What case can I file against him? Thank you for your answer, sir!

Q: Good day, I was hoping to get legal advice regarding my situation. Three of us in the company filed a labor complaint against the employer due to delayed and incomplete salary since May of 2020. The labor called our employer and agrees to settle our due within 10 days, however after that conversation, our boss sent us messages falsely accusing us of theft. He said that he has evidence but we are sure that this is just a threat as we didn't do anything wrong. On the day of settlement, as he promised, he never gave us anything, instead, he harassed us to sign the cancellation without getting our balance and threatened us that we will go to jail if we refuse. We know that this is what will happen because he did the same thing to other ex-employees who complained and those who ended contracts with him not getting anything because of that wrongful accusation. What should we do next? Shall we inform the labor regarding this or just file a case for defamation regarding his false allegation?

Q: Hello Sir/ Ma’am, I worked at an automotive trading company, but due to personal issues, I had to resign. I served the proper notice period and left the organization in October 2023. After leaving my job, I offered an additional 5 days to assist if still they had any queries. Ten days later, I requested them to settle my Full and Final (F&F) dues and cancel my visa. However, I received no reply. After a final reminder, they informed me that I had to rejoin the company, or they would file a legal complaint against me. In response, I lodged a complaint with the labor authorities. When the labor department contacted my former employer, they filed a false complaint alleging loss and damage caused by me. I would appreciate your advice on how to handle this fabricated complaint.

Q: Hello, How can I file a counter-complaint against a person who made a false report about me for public cursing, which I never did? He made the complaint about three months after we last met. I now have a case because of it, but I never said any bad words to him. I was stopped at the airport because of that.

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).

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, known as the "New UAE Penal Code", governs criminal actions in the United Arab Emirates. The New Penal Code repeals the previous UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 Promulgating the Penal Code).