Abu Dhabi court orders company to pay former employee Dh384,000 in unpaid wages, gratuity

The Abu Dhabi Labour Court of First Instance has ruled that a company must pay Dh384,301 to a former employee after failing to settle months of unpaid wages and his end-of-service gratuity.

The employee, who worked for the company for nearly 12 years under an open-ended contract, had filed a lawsuit claiming Dh252,000 in unpaid monthly salaries and Dh186,544 in end-of-service benefits, along with legal fees.

He had earned a total monthly salary of Dh26,250, including a basic salary of Dh12,800. In its ruling, the court cited UAE labour laws requiring employers to pay agreed wages promptly, even if work was not specifically assigned, and affirmed the employee’s entitlement under civil law provisions for timely wage payment. 

The court held that the company’s failure to remit the dues warranted full payment of both the withheld salaries and the statutory end-of-service benefit.