Arbitrary or unfair dismissal takes place when an employer terminates an employee or forces him to resign without any justifiable reasons.

According to Article 122 of the UAE Labour Law, arbitrary termination of an employee happens when an employee is fired for reasons not related to work performance, or when the employee files a valid complaint against an employer, which made the latter terminate him maliciously.

Article 120 of the UAE Labour lays out the reasons for which termination without notice is lawful.

If an employee believes that he has been dismissed illegally, he can complain to Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The ministry will try to solve the issue amicably. If an amicable settlement is not reached, the case will be referred to the respective court.

As per Article 123 of the UAE Labour Law, if arbitrary dismissal is proven, the court will order the employer to pay a compensation to the employee. The court will assess the value of compensation taking into account the type of work, the extent of damage incurred to the employee and the duration of the employment. In all cases, the amount of compensation must not exceed the wage of the employee for a period of three months, calculated on the basis of the last wage the worker is entitled to.

In addition to compensation, the employee can claim his gratuity, notice period dues or any other unpaid dues he is entitled to from his employer.