How to file a labour complaint in the UAE: Step-by-step MOHRE guide for private sector employees
From unpaid salaries and end-of-service gratuity to overtime and leave disputes, here's how to submit a labour complaint through MOHRE
Dubai: If you are working in the UAE’s private sector and have a dispute with your employer over unpaid wages, end-of-service benefits, overtime, leave entitlements or any other employment-related issue, you can file a labour complaint with the UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
The service is provided free of cost and can be completed either online, through the various platforms offered by the Ministry, or by reaching out to the Ministry directly through their hotline 800 60.
It is important to note, however, that this service is available for workers employed in the UAE’s private sector. If you are hired by a company in a free zone, you would need to directly get in touch with the free zone authority to raise your complaint.
What you need before filing a labour complaint with MOHRE
Before you file the complaint, make sure you have the following details with you:
- Labour card number
- Person code
- Passport number
The easiest way to get your labour card number and your person code is to log into your account on the ‘MOHRE UAE’ app, which is available for Apple and Android devices and log in using your UAE PASS.
Tap on your personal dashboard, where you will be able to see the details of employment, including your labour card number and person code.
In case you are having problems logging in through the app, you can also visit a Tas’heel service centre, where you can request for your work details, by providing either your Emirates ID number or your passport number. Tas’heel centres are authorised by MOHRE to provide services on behalf of the Ministry to private sector workers in the UAE.
Once you have these details, you can now begin the process of filing the complaint.
How to file a labour complaint through MOHRE
- Visit https://mohre.gov.ae/en/services/register-labor-complaints-private-sector-employees-2022
- You will be asked to complete a user verification process – enter your name, mobile number and click on ‘Send OTP’. You will receive the one-time password via SMS.
- Enter the OTP and click on ‘verify’.
- Next, select your ‘user type’ as ‘employee’.
- Enter your labour card number, person code, passport number, nationality and date of birth.
- The system will then display details of your employment.
- Click on ‘add complaint’.
- Provide details of your complaint, including whether or not your salary matches the details of your labour contract, details of any delays in salary, or any administrative claims you may have.
- You will then see a dropdown menu, from which you need to select the exact category under which your complaint falls – claim for overtime pay, claim for end-of-service gratuity, claim for maternity leave etc.
- Next, enter details of the claim amount, in cases of unpaid dues.
- Before submitting the complaint, you will once again be asked to enter the OTP for verification purposes.
- Enter the OTP and submit the complaint.
Once the application is submitted, a Ministry employee will review the details and begin processing it. This includes contacting the complainant to confirm the details of the complaint, before approaching the employer to resolve the dispute amicably.
If the complaint is not resolved amicably, a meeting will be scheduled, and the parties will receive a text message containing the date of the complaint.
According to MOHRE, the parties may also be contacted a second time, in an effort to reach an amicable resolution of the dispute.
If an amicable resolution is not achieved, the complaint will be referred to the appropriate court for resolution.
In some cases, if required by the claim, the work permit may also be cancelled. This will allow the employee to find alternative employment, while the labour case is being processed.