Contracts and Agreements
Agreements drafted to be enforceable in the jurisdiction that will actually hear the dispute.
Service 12
Employment & Labour Law
Advice for employers and employees on contracts, end of service entitlements, termination and labour complaints in the UAE.
Most employment disputes in the UAE are decided by documents written long before anyone fell out. The contract on file with the authority governs, and it is not always the one the employee was handed.
We advise both employers and employees. On the employer side that usually means contracts, policies, and ending a relationship in a way that does not create a second problem. On the employee side it usually means working out what is genuinely owed at the end of a job, and whether the reason given for ending it holds up.
Employment relationships are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations. Free zones may add their own rules, and the DIFC and ADGM have separate employment law entirely, so the first question is usually which of those applies to you.
What we do
Employment contracts
Drafting and reviewing contracts against the registered version held by the authority, which is the one that governs.
End of service entitlements
Calculating gratuity, notice, untaken leave and any unpaid wages, and setting out what is genuinely disputed.
Termination and redundancy
Advising on the grounds relied on, the notice required, and the exposure created by arbitrary dismissal.
Restrictive covenants
Non-competition and non-solicitation clauses, their enforceability, and how they are commonly narrowed.
Workplace policies
Handbooks, disciplinary procedures and internal complaint routes that hold up when they are tested.
Labour complaints
Advice through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation process, and on what follows if it is not settled there.
Questions we are asked
What law governs employment in the UAE?
Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, together with its Executive Regulations. Free zones may apply their own employment regulations in addition, and financial free zones such as the DIFC and ADGM have separate employment law entirely.
How is end of service gratuity worked out?
It is based on the basic wage and length of continuous service, and the calculation is set out in the law rather than left to agreement. Disputes usually turn on which figure counts as the basic wage and whether service was genuinely continuous, not on the arithmetic.
Is a non-competition clause enforceable here?
It can be, but it has to be limited in time, place and the kind of work covered, and it has to protect a legitimate interest of the employer. A clause drawn more widely than that is frequently narrowed or set aside.
Where does a labour complaint start?
For most onshore employment, with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Where it is not resolved there it moves on to the court with jurisdiction. We advise on the position and prepare the documents; where the matter requires representation before a court, that is reserved to registered advocates and we say so at the outset.
General information about this service, not advice on your matter. Legislation is named for orientation. See our terms of use.