I have worked for a small local company since early March and I signed an offer letter which detailed all that was agreed at the time with the manager. They are now changing a number of things such as holiday allowance, hours of work and not being paid for work we have done in March. I was going to call the labour office today but with no contract or labour card I am not sure they can help. As it's a new company there has been no proper management. The manager had now left and a consultant has stepped in. She is making all these changes which she says are according to the labour law. Where does my offer letter stand if signed by me and not by management? Am I free to leave if I am on my husband's visa? FT, Dubai
Your employer is breaking a number of laws. You must be provided with a labour card and a contract must be lodged with the Ministry of Labour so that you are paid properly via the Wages Protection System. An employer is not permitted to change the terms of a contract of employment without the employee’s agreement. If you don’t have a contract, the terms in the offer letter will be deemed to be the contract terms for this purpose, as the responsibility to lodge a contract is with the employer. Obviously not paying someone their salary on the agreed basis is also against the law. As the law stands, if you are on a spouse’s visa you cannot receive a labour ban in Dubai, but theoretically you should give 30 days’ notice as per UAE labour law. That said, in this case the equivalent of 30 days’ pay is due so considering the short period of service and the circumstances, it is unlikely to be an issue if FT left immediately on resigning.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek appropriate independent legal advice
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