5 steps for submitting individual labor complaints

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has identified 5 steps for submitting individual labor complaints through 4 official channels, including: the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s website, the Ministry’s smart application, and calling 80060 for complaints from citizens working in the private sector, in addition to calling 046659999 for non-citizens, indicating that the worker or employer has the right to submit a labor complaint to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation in the event that one of the two parties does not adhere to the terms of the employment contract.

In detail, the Ministry explained that the steps and procedures for submitting a complaint include: submitting the complaint through one of the service channels specifying the required labor claims, sending a text message to the worker and the employer containing the complaint data, and the legal specialist communicating with both parties to try to resolve the problem amicably, setting a date to consider the complaint if no solution is reached, in addition to referring the complaint to the judiciary or canceling the work permit “as the case may be” if an amicable solution is not possible.

She stressed that the conditions for accepting a complaint require that the worker be registered in the systems of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and that there be no other existing complaints for the same person unless the work relationship is ongoing or the worker wishes to cancel the work permit, in addition to that the worker be registered with one of the free zones in accordance with the approved systems, while complaints are followed up by notifying the complainant of the outcome of the request within a period not exceeding 14 days, and the status of the complaint can be followed through the Ministry’s website or its smart application.

The Ministry stressed that the UAE labor market legislation guarantees both parties to the labor relationship in the private sector their rights in a balanced manner, especially in the event of a labor dispute between them, as both parties have the opportunity to submit a labor complaint to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation according to easy procedures. These complaints are considered and worked to resolve them amicably between the two parties or referred to the judiciary if amicable solutions are not possible, pointing out that it was able to settle 98% of labor complaints within a year. 2025, which contributed to the Ministry being ranked first in the world in the global competitiveness indicators for the year 2025 regarding the lack of labor disputes, the growth of the workforce, and the low costs of terminating a worker’s services.

It is worth noting that individual labor disputes are dealt with on the basis that they are a dispute between the employer and the worker, and it is not permissible to impose any penalties or take administrative measures against the facility that may cause harm to other workers in the facility or to the employer, except after the dispute has been settled or resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Decree Law and its executive regulations. An exception to this is the Ministry’s right, during the validity of the dispute, to oblige the employer to continue paying the worker’s wages for a maximum of two months, if the dispute causes the worker’s wages to be stopped, and in accordance with the executive regulations, as may be decided by a decision from The Minister may impose procedures or other administrative measures on the facility, to avoid the existing individual dispute leading to a collective labor dispute that would harm the public interest.

Organizing work relationships
Article No. (54) of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 regarding the regulation of labor relations, regulating individual labor disputes, stipulates that if the employer, the worker, or any person entitled to them disputes any of the rights accruing to either of them under the provisions of the Decree-Law, he must submit a request to do so to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which in turn will examine the request and take what it deems necessary to settle the dispute amicably between them, and the Ministry, if settlement is not possible. Amicably, within the period specified by the executive regulations of this decree law, the dispute shall be referred to the competent court, and the referral shall be accompanied by a memorandum that includes a summary of the dispute, the arguments of both parties, and the Ministry’s recommendation.