UAE: Unpaid salaries? Here’s how employees can file a labour complaint

Question: I am an employee at a company with 49 employees. The company has not paid our salaries for the past two months. Twenty-two employees have gone on protest by refusing to work and have threatened to file a complaint against the company. What procedures should be followed for this, and how can we file the complaint?

Answer: Pursuant to Article 56 of the Federal Labour Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 and its Cabinet Resolution No. (1) of 2022 on its implementation:

1. If a dispute arises between the employer and all the establishment’s workers, or a group thereof, and the parties fail to settle it amicably, the complainant shall file a complaint in accordance with the following rules and procedures:

a. The complaint shall be filed through the channels specified by the Ministry.

b. The type and amount of the claims shall be stated.

c. The complaint shall be filed within two weeks from the date of the dispute. 

2. The Ministry may address the concerned authorities to impose a provisional seizure on the establishment to guarantee the workers’ rights.

3. The Ministry may liquidate the bank guarantee or insurance allocated to the workers without the employer’s approval if the workers’ allegation is substantiated, or it may take any other actions or measures to ensure payment of the workers’ entitlements.

4. The Ministry shall settle the dispute pursuant to the procedures determined by a resolution of the Minister. If a settlement is not possible for any reason, or due to the parties’ non-compliance with the agreed settlement, the dispute shall be referred to the Collective Labour Disputes Committee.

5. The Collective Labour Disputes Committees, formed by a Cabinet resolution based on the Minister’s proposal, shall settle the disputes referred to them. Their decision shall be final and enforced with the executory formula seal by the competent court.