An Abu Dhabi labour court has ruled in favor of a long-serving employee, ordering his former employer to pay more than Dh102,000 in dues after the man was terminated without pay for 10 months.
According to a report from Gulf News, the ruling was handed down by the Abu Dhabi Labour Court (First Instance), following a complaint filed by the worker, who had been employed with the company since 2010 under a contract paying Dh11,500 monthly—including a basic wage of Dh6,900.
Court documents revealed that the man was abruptly dismissed in the latter part of 2023, ending a tenure that spanned 14 years, one month, and 23 days. His complaint sought compensation for unpaid wages, end-of-service gratuity, unused leave, a return flight ticket, and damages for emotional and financial hardship.
In its decision, the court granted the employee Dh87,259 in gratuity—calculated as one month’s basic salary for each year of service—along with Dh3,450 for 15 days of unused leave. The employer was also ordered to pay additional amounts for other entitlements, bringing the total to Dh102,209.
The employer did not appear in court to challenge the claims or provide justification for the wage delays, prompting the court to issue a default judgment in the employee’s favor.
