Nafis violations: Eight UAE companies accused of salary reductions

Abu Dhabi The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has referred eight private companies to the Public Prosecution for illegally reducing the salaries of some Emirati employees who receive financial support through the government’s Nafis programme, Emarat Al Youm Arabic daily reported.

Nafis, launched to boost Emiratisation and encourage Emiratis to join the private sector, provides salary support and other incentives to UAE nationals. The ministry confirmed that it investigated complaints from affected employees and found that the companies had cut salaries to the same level as before the Nafis support — or only slightly higher — in effect nullifying the benefit.

The ministry described this as a serious violation of Ministerial Decision No. 663 of 2022, which explicitly prohibits private companies from reducing the salaries of Emiratis because of government support. It stressed that protecting the rights of Emirati employees and addressing practices that undermine Emiratisation policies are among its top priorities.

Officials highlighted that the ministry uses advanced monitoring systems to track company compliance with Emiratisation policies, including the regular review of payroll records. In addition, inspection campaigns are carried out to ensure that Nafis support is not misused or exploited. Legal action is taken against companies found in breach of the rules.

The ministry urged Emiratis working in the private sector to report any violations, such as salary reductions, through its website, smart app, call centre (600590000) or the Labour Consultations and Complaints Centre (80084).

At the same time, the ministry expressed confidence in most private sector companies, describing them as partners in a national effort that has seen the number of Emiratis in private sector jobs rise to more than 152,000 across 29,000 companies as of the end of June.