A company in Abu Dhabi has been ordered to pay AED 110,400 as 'unpaid wages' to an employee who received an offer letter but was never allowed to join work. According to a report in The Khaleej Times, the employee filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that his salary for the period between November 11, 2024 to April 7, 2025, was withheld by his employers.

The employee, who was not named in the report, said that he had signed a fixed-term contract with the company. The terms of his employment contract included a basic salary of 7,200 AED and a total monthly package of 24,000 AED.

However, the company kept delaying the date on which he was supposed to begin work.

The employee took the company to court over the loss of salary.

What the court said
The court stated that "it was clear from the wage report, the employment contract, and the supporting documents submitted through the case management system that the delay in starting work was due to the employer."

It also emphasized that employers are obligated to pay wages on time under labour laws.

The court ruled that the company had to pay the employee AED 110,400 (Rs25 lakh INR approximately) as unpaid wages.

The company, on the other hand, argued that the employee was not entitled to the full wage as he "did not report to duty and went on leave."

However, the court found no evidence to suggest that an investigation had been launched into any absence and ruled that the delay in joining work was the company's fault.

The employee did admit to taking eight days off, the salary for which was deducted from the total.