Dubai — Employees who find themselves stranded outside the UAE amid travel disruptions or regional tensions do not automatically lose their right to pay. Whether wages continue depends on whether staff can still do their jobs, what leave arrangements are in place and the precise circumstances behind the absence. Legal sources have set out where employers’ obligations end and workers’ remedies begin.
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Legal framework
The UAE ties wages to the performance of contracted work under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. The statute accepts that unforeseen events can make performance difficult or impossible, and it builds in limits on what employers may do when absence is justified. Legal commentators point out that the law allows for contract adjustment — or in extreme cases cancellation — when performance is genuinely frustrated by events beyond the employee’s control.
Salary when work continues
If an employee can keep working remotely and the employer agrees to that arrangement, salary should continue to flow as usual. Lawyers say remote work preserves entitlement so long as the worker remains available and productive, and the employer has not lawfully varied the contract. In short: if you’re doing the job, you should be paid for it.
Leave and unpaid absence
Where remote work isn’t possible, employers may ask staff to use accrued annual leave or may grant unpaid leave. Wage suspension is lawful only where leave is unpaid and either mutually agreed or permitted under contract and law. Specialists stress that unilateral or retrospective deductions for work already performed are open to challenge.
Employer duties for business travel
When staff are stranded while on employer-directed travel, responsibility generally stays with the employer. That normally covers pay and reasonable costs such as emergency accommodation or rebooking. Companies are expected to stay on top of developments and assist employees when travel collapses because of conflict or airspace disruption.
Emergency absence recognised
Legal advisers note that absences caused by closed airspace, cancelled flights or conflict are typically treated as legitimate when properly documented. Provisions in the Civil Code and labour law allow for contract adjustment where performance is genuinely impossible due to unforeseen events. As always, tribunals tend to decide these cases on their individual facts.
Disciplinary thresholds
UAE labour rules permit disciplinary action, including dismissal, where an employee is absent without a valid reason for set periods — commonly cited as seven consecutive days or 20 intermittent days in a year. But authorities and practitioners distinguish clearly between unexplained absenteeism and absence caused by demonstrable travel restrictions or safety concerns; the latter usually limits an employer’s ability to impose punitive measures.
Evidence and communication
Employers and lawyers repeatedly urge employees to inform their employer in writing, submit documentary proof such as cancelled tickets or official travel advisories, and keep records of every exchange. Solid documentation of disruption strengthens an employee’s position in any later dispute.
Wage complaints and enforcement
Workers who believe pay has been unlawfully withheld can file a confidential salary complaint with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. MOHRE’s online service triggers mediation and can lead to administrative orders to recover outstanding wages. The ministry’s portal sets out the complaint process and digital submission routes for private-sector staff.
Statements from legal advisers
Practitioners quoted in recent coverage say employers should take a pragmatic, evidence-based approach during regional disruptions. One partner at a UAE law firm told reporters termination should not be used punitively where employees are isolated by conflict or cancelled flights, while another lawyer highlighted an employer’s duty of care when staff are travelling for work. These professional views have shaped the guidance offered to both workers and firms.
