Abu Dhabi waiter seeking Dh500K gratuity gets Dh40,000

A restaurant waiter who sought Dh500,000 gratuity and other end of service benefits after he was sacked by his Abu Dhabi employer won only Dh40,000.

The worker told a labour court that a friend advised him to seek that amount on the grounds he had worked extra hours for his employer, including Fridays.

But the court found that the worker, who served at the restaurant for nearly 16 years, did not provide sufficient evidence for his claims.

The employer told court that he sacked the worker and other colleagues because of a business slump and that he had not asked him to work extra hours.

“The employer said that worker used to stay at the restaurant for some more hours at his own request although his colleagues went to their living quarters at the end of their shift hours,” Emarat Alyoum daily said.

It said a labour court in the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization ordered the employer to pay the worker around Dh40,000, prompting the plaintiff to appeal. But a court of appeals upheld that sentence and rejected his Dh500,000 claim.

The paper quoted a Ministry official as saying those who are in dispute with their employers should seek legal advice instead of listening to “unqualified friends.”

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