Abu Dhabi court orders company to pay Dh186,801 to long-serving employee

Abu Dhabi: An Abu Dhabi labour court has ordered a company to pay Dh186,801 to a long-serving employee after ruling that the firm failed to meet its wage and end-of-service obligations, prompting the employee to stop working.

In its judgment, the Court of First Instance found that the company had not paid the employee’s monthly wages for several consecutive months and later refused to offer his remaining entitlements, including accrued leave and end-of-service benefits.

According to court records, the employee filed his claim after first approaching the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dispute resolution committee, Al Khaleej newspaper reported. 

He sought payment of five months of unpaid salaries, end-of-service gratuity, annual leave allowance for the final two years of employment, and commissions covering two years, in addition to legal interest and costs.

The employee told the court he had worked for the company for nearly 18 years, earning a basic salary of Dh7,000 and a total monthly package of Dh12,000. He said he stopped reporting to work only after repeated delays in salary payments and that he never received his outstanding labour dues.

The court ruled that an employer is not discharged from its obligation to pay wages unless there is written proof, an admission, or sworn testimony confirming payment. It found no evidence that the company had settled the employee’s salaries for the disputed five-month period and awarded him Dh59,200 in unpaid wages.

On the issue of end-of-service gratuity, the court noted that the company failed to prove that the employee had abandoned his job. As a result, it upheld his entitlement to gratuity and other benefits, bringing the total amount awarded to Dh186,801.