UAE unpaid wages & end-of-service benefits
Advice on unpaid salary, disputed employment entitlements and end-of-service benefits in the UAE, with careful review of payment records and settlement terms.
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Distinguish each component of the employment claim
A final employment payment may involve several distinct entitlements: outstanding wages, contractual allowances, accrued leave, notice-related sums and end-of-service benefits. Each should be examined separately against the governing law, employment terms and payment history.
End-of-service treatment is not identical for every worker. Nationality, the applicable pension or savings arrangement, the employment regime, work pattern and length of service can affect the analysis. A calculation based only on a headline salary figure may omit relevant distinctions.
How the firm can assist
The firm can help prepare a reasoned schedule of the amounts claimed or disputed, reconcile the supporting records and review any proposed release. Where the matter remains unresolved, advice can address the appropriate employment complaint and subsequent proceedings.
- Salary arrears, disputed deductions and discrepancies between the contract and actual payments.
- Accrued leave, notice payments and the relevant end-of-service arrangement.
- Settlement wording, evidence of payment and the implications of acknowledging receipt.
- Contract, salary structure and any pension or savings-plan records.
- Payslips, bank payment records and a schedule of the amounts in dispute.
- Joining and termination dates, leave records and proposed final settlement.
An initial outline is enough. Detailed records can follow through a process agreed with the firm.
Questions clients often ask
Are gratuity and all other final payments calculated on the same basis?
Not necessarily. The applicable law may distinguish basic wage from other remuneration, and different entitlements may use different calculation rules. Pension, savings and special-jurisdiction arrangements should also be checked.
Does employees’ protection insurance replace the employer’s obligations?
No. The employees’ protection insurance scheme concerns specified employment entitlements when its conditions are met; it does not discharge the employer’s underlying responsibility. It is separate from health insurance and work-injury coverage.
Define the mandate
Clarify your objectives, the jurisdictions involved and any immediate deadline.
Review the legal position
Examine the relevant documents and identify the decisions requiring advice.
Agree the next steps
Set out the work, professional responsibilities and practical sequence.
Experience with a personal point of contact
Hyam El Hachem is an Attorney at Law with the Beirut Bar Association. Following her training at Awada Tyan Law Firm, she established her own firm in 1996 and expanded her practice to the UAE in 2005.
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