Unpaid Wages Claim

An unpaid wages claim is the action a UAE employee takes to recover salary, allowances, overtime, or end-of-service amounts the employer failed to pay. The route is structured: a MOHRE complaint first, settlement attempts, then referral to the labour court if unresolved. The employee's evidentiary position is unusually strong because the Wage Protection System creates an official payment record — gaps in WPS transfers are near-conclusive proof of non-payment — and wage debts enjoy privileged status against the employer's assets. Prolonged non-payment also justifies resignation without notice while preserving entitlements, and MOHRE can block the employer's new work permits until arrears are cleared. Practical complications include cash side-payments that never entered WPS, disputed deductions (which the law tightly restricts), and insolvent employers, where speed matters because privileged status helps only while assets remain.