Man flees country with dues without informing employer

Dubai: A British employee will face court or be banned from entering the UAE after fleeing the country without informing the employer, a senior official from the Ministry of Labour said.

Humaid Bin Deemas, acting director general at the Ministry of Labour, said on Thursday the ministry has the full right to transfer any case to the court if it is to protect the rights of employers.

"We do not only protect the rights of the workers but also we take care of the job owners," he said.

Bin Deemas said that an employer had complained to the ministry about his British employee, who left the country after taking from the company Dh75,000 as his dues without informing the manager or the company.

"The case was transferred to the court who will look for the British employee who took the money and ran away," he said.

He said the employee will be called to come back to the country to face the court otherwise he will be banned from entering the country.

Employer protection

Bin Deemas said even if the worker runs away, the rights of the employer are protected by the court.

"We cannot ban anyone from leaving the country if there is no travel ban against that person as it is any one's rights to travel. However, if it's proven to the court that the job owner's rights were offended by that worker, then the worker will face [a] penalty."

Bin Deemas said the ministry has rules and regulations to protect both the workers and the employers.

Bin Deemas said that according to an administrative ministerial circular issued in 2006, the ministry has the right to transfer any case to court and to prosecute.

"The ministry has laid down a new mechanism for quick settlement of labour cases, under which it will have the power to summon the employer or employee and provide the courts with all relevant documents," he said.