My friend was asked to resign soon after she got a job in UAE. Is she entitled to compensation?

Know your legal rights in the UAE.

Question: My friend resigned from her job in mid-March to join a firm on an unlimited contract. Two days prior to joining, she was told that her start date was delayed and after another two and a half months, she was told that she needed to resign because the position was declared obsolete. During this period, she was furnished a visa, along with medical insurance, but no stipend for her day-to-day expenses. Is she entitled to any compensation for loss of income, or the salaries she never received because her starting date was pushed? 
Answer:
We assume that your friend has signed an employment contract with her employer as she has been issued with a UAE residence visa. It should be noted that your friend's official employment with her new employer commenced from the date the signed employment contract was approved by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) and General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), as applicable. Therefore, your friend is entitled to salaries from the date her employment contract was approved by the MoHRE/GDRFA until the end of her employment.  
It is recommended that your friend approaches the administration or human resource department of her employer and request them to pay her salaries from the date her employment contract was approved. Further, your friend may consult a legal practitioner in the UAE. 
Know the law
An employee is entitled to salaries from the date his/her employment contract was approved by MoHRE/GDRFA. 

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Ashish Mehta is the founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom and India. Full details of his firm on: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.