Every First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) branch will be closed between November 29 and December 4. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Every First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) branch will be closed between November 29 and December 4. Chris Whiteoak / The National

First Abu Dhabi Bank branches to be closed for four days for system overhaul



All branches of a UAE bank formed after a merger between two of the country’s biggest financial institutions are to close for several days to allow a system overhaul to be completed.

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) branches – created from the link-up between First Gulf Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi – will be closed from Friday, November 30, reopening on Tuesday, December 4, while a service integration is completed.

Most banking services will be unavailable during this period – but people will be able to use credit and debit cards to make purchases and cash withdrawals, the bank said in a message sent out to customers.

All incoming and outgoing payments, remittances and standing orders due during this time will be processed after the integration work has been completed.

Customers who will need to make payments during this period – such as the payment of bills – are urged to make them by November 29.

_______________

Read more: 

FGB and National Bank of Abu Dhabi choose merged name: First Abu Dhabi Bank 

First Abu Dhabi Bank reveals new brand identity

_______________

The bank has revealed that there will be some changes made to customer accounts after the integration has been completed, which will be shared with those affected after December 4.

They will include a new customer ID, account numbers and IBAN and, for some customers, there may be a change to how their name is shown on their account.

Customers with queries or concerns can call the bank on 800 40000.

FGB and NBAD combined to become First Abu Dhabi Bank after the completion of a long-awaited merger in April 2017.

First Abu Dhabi Bank has assets in excess of Dh730 billion – making it the UAE’s biggest bank and the second largest in the Middle East.

Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding