Question
I have been working since 2015 in an interior designing firm which is incorporated in a free zone. Recently, my employer converted my limited duration work contract into an unlimited contract. My employer asked me that I take leave for 30 days and said that I book my plane tickets. I did exactly thr same. However, after I came back from 30 days’ leave, my employer informed me that they have to terminate my work contract with immediate effect. Can my employer terminate my work contract while I am outside the UAE? Is he allowed to do that?
Answer
In accordance to your query, we believe that the 30 days’ leave your employer asked you to take is from your annual leave bucket and you are currently outside the country due to which you are unable to go back to work.
In response to your query, generally free zones and the respective authorities in the UAE may have their own employment regulations. However, if the authority does not have its own set of work rules, then the provisions of Federal Law No. (8) of 1980 regulating work relations in the UAE (the ‘Employment Law’) and the subsequent ministerial rulings shall be applicable. Since you have not mentioned the free zone in which your current employer is incorporated in, hence your query will be addressed in accordance to the rules of the Employment Law and the subsequent applicable ministerial resolutions.
Read More: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/legalview/can-uae-employer-sack-worker-while-he-is-on-leave-1
