Limited period contract

A reader in Abu Dhabi asks: I have completed a year's contract and then signed a contract for three years but resigned after working 18 months. What fine should I pay? Will I only get 21 days for the one-year contract I have completed or will the 18 months of the second contract also be included?

I want to make it clear to the questioner that his contract maybe of a limited duration and he has no right to revoke except after the expiry of the contract as per Article 116 of the Labour Law that says when a contract is revoked by the worker for reasons other than those specified in Article 121, he shall be required to compensate the employer, provided that the amount of compensation shall not exceed half the worker's remuneration for three months or the remaining period of the contract, whichever is shorter unless the contract contains a provision to the contrary.

The employer may also ask the Ministry of Labour to impose a year's ban because of the violation.

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