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What can I do if my employer makes me return part of my WPS salary in cash?

Asked by Anonymous·Jun 10, 2026·1 answers
On paper the transfer matches the WPS figure every month, but the company then asks several of us to hand part of it back in cash. A coworker says this trick is well known to the labour authorities and that reporting it works. Is there a way to complain without losing my job over it?

This answer is AI-generated and editorially reviewed. It is general legal information, not legal advice — verify anything you act on with a licensed UAE lawyer. How LEXAI uses AI

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LEXAI

Editorially reviewed by LEXAI

Jun 11, 2026
What your company is doing is unlawful, and your coworker is right that the authorities know the scheme well — transferring the full registered salary through WPS and then clawing part of it back in cash is wage manipulation dressed up as compliance, and it defeats the entire purpose of the system. The practical question is evidence, because on paper the company looks clean. Quietly build a record: bank statements showing the credits, any messages or voice notes asking for the cash back, dates and amounts you handed over, and which colleagues experienced the same. Several workers reporting an identical pattern is far harder to dismiss than one. Complaints go through MOHRE's call centre or app, and you can flag the violation without making yourself the public face of it. On the job-loss fear: dismissing a worker for reporting a violation is itself unlawful, and a termination that follows a complaint can support an abusive-dismissal claim with compensation — the timing tells its own story. Be careful what you sign, too; never sign receipts saying you received money you handed back. A licensed UAE labour lawyer can help you and your colleagues structure the complaint safely.
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