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: I was working in a company in the UAE for five years. In the UAE they do not have a retirement plan for expats, only End of Service Allowance (EOSA). My employment contract is an open contract. No contract duration. I had taken a loan from the company. I borrowed the funds to support my children education. I had been approved for the loan given I have a salary. The company decided to terminate the employment of about 400 employees. I did not request to be terminated. No package was given at all for compensation except EOSA plus ticket and freight cost. I recently received the company Draft Final Settlement document whereas the EOSA amount that I was hoping to use to survive and provide food and shelter for my family was taken away completely and applied towards paying the loan. They fired me, I did not ask to be fired. They have broken their side of the contract. What legal recourse do I have for not accepting the company literally taking away my EOSA and leaving me bone dry?

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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. In this article, Ludmila informs readers what they should do and where they should go if they have not been paid by their employer.

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.

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).