Q: My company was taken over by another company. The management of the new company assured us, old employees, that we won't be terminated. My visa got expired on the first week of November 2017. So I asked my boss about the renewal and he assured me that it's a long process and might take time for the renewal. On the 1st week of December, I was called along with some other staff to the head office, got informed that they are not going to renew our contracts and we have to stop going to work. I have an unlimited contract. The company did not give us any notice in advance nor did they make us sign on any papers and we did not receive any termination letter. In this situation, I would like to know our rights as per the labour law. I am still searching for a job and I have a loan with the bank. Appreciate your advice in advance.

Q: I have been working with a private company for 2 years and 10 months on an unlimited contract. Three months ago my employer cut Dh 3000 from our salaries and later asked us to sign a letter saying that we accept a deduction until the company's financial condition improves. There has been no change in the contract though. My employer also increased our working hour by 30 minutes every day, for which we were sent an email. My questions are: 1. If I leave the company, can I claim the salary which has been deducted back? 2. Will my final dues be calculated based on the salary mentioned in my contract or the reduced salary? 3. Can I ask for overtime for the increased hours? It is mentioned in my contract that overtime will not be paid. ***

Q: Dear Ma'am Good day to you, I am working in a company where they didn't pay me for 5 months and I have asked them to do so, in order to leave for marriage on August 26, 2018 (Please note my visa expires on 18/09/2018). But the response from them was swift and fast and they gave me a letter of termination with notice period 30 days. I have refused to sign the letter. The company is not in a position to settle my outstanding salary gratuity and leave salary at the moment, as I have been informed so verbally. So shall I file a case and tell the labour office to hold it till I come back from my marriage, one day before my visa expires? is that possible? Thanks in advance for your advice. Dima

Q: I had filed a complaint against my previous employer to whom I worked for 6 years and 7 months. They did not give me my End of Service Gratuity, Leaves and Salary which amount, in total, to 87,000 AED. They are now 10 months due from the time I resigned. My previous employer's legal representative first said that I am not eligible for all my claims since I did not serve notice period which is not true. I responded citing evidence and today I received a letter from them again saying that I already signed that I received all my dues. Yes, I signed the MOL cancellation, but I haven't received my money. There is no evidence that our company transferred such amount to my account. I signed because I was told that they will not cancel my MOL and I would not be able to start with my new job. I wish someone represents me as I feel like my previous employer's legal representative is only delaying what is due.

س: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته، لدي متعلقات مالية مع شركة ولا أستطيع تحصيلها.

Q: Dear sir, I am currently working and have pending salaries from August 2021 till the present. The company gives a salary every 2 or 3 months; that is why it is accumulated for almost 11 months. I received my salary last April 20, 2022, for the month of July 2021. My MOHRE the last time I check is updated till February 2022. I am planning to resign but I am afraid that the company will not give me anything. I would like to ask what should I do so that the company will be forced to give me all my pending salary?

Q: Hello, I am a medical practitioner and the center I am working at currently has my license. They have pending salaries to be paid to staff and we, the staff, have resigned. I just want to know if we get the labor cancellation certificate now, are we still eligible to complain to labor for our pending salaries?

Q: My previous employer, an LLC Dubai Company, is yet to complete the end-of-service settlement. The last 25% remains to be paid to me. As per the labor law of the UAE, I have one year before I can raise a complaint. This one-year period will expire in 10 days. Can I get my previous employer to sign a promissory note or loan agreement with me so my rights are protected or do I lodge a formal complaint with the MOL/MOHRE?

Q: Good day, My contract ended yesterday. I have been working with them for six years. I have not taken my annual leave for this year. Am I entitled to get my paid annual leave? In addition, I still have four months of unpaid salary with them. For two of those months, we signed a letter stating that they could not provide a salary due to the company's situation, which we understood. However, my manager told me that she would give me the salary in cash because I was working during those two months. For the other two months that they did not give us our salary, they asked us to sign photocopied copies of a salary slip just to show that we had already been paid. We signed them because they were only photocopies and they told us that they needed them to settle things with MOHRE/labor. In total, including this month, I am owed five months of salary.

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.

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).