A reader in Dubai asks: I have worked for a company for more than five years through a limited contract, which expired last year, and I renewed it for a further three years. The new contract expires in 2010. I have had difficult circumstances with the company that led me to resign, as the company released salaries every three months on the basis that the company was having financial problems. When I claimed my entitlements at the end of my service, they told me that I did not deserve the end-of-service gratuity because I had violated the Labour Law when I submitted my resignation, although my contract was for a limited period. Besides, they said they would request the Ministry of Labour to impose a year's ban on me. Please advise what should I do?

I would like to clarify that if the reader resigned because his salary was being delayed for three months, the questioner did not violate the Labour Law. The Labour Court considers such a resignation as arbitrary dismissal, where the worker is entitled to compensation from the employer, since the worker was obliged to resign.

Therefore, the questioner may file a complaint before the Ministry of Labour stating through evidence that he resigned because of the delay in releasing the salary, thus, to ask the ministry to forward the complaint to the competent court.

Questions answered by advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahar Advocates and Legal Consultants.