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Past event summary

DMCC Employment Law Workshop - April 2019

About the event

DMCC members were invited to attend the DMCC Employment Law Workshop which took place on Wednesday, 24 April 2019.

This full-day workshop, presented by international law firm Pinsent Masons, provided case studies and real-life examples of how the UAE employment law is applied in practice. Pinsent Masons is a CLPD accredited training provider and all delegates were provided with a Pinsent Masons UAE Employment Law Workshop Certificate to confirm their attendance and participation.

Who attended:

  • Office managers
  • HR Managers/Executives
  • DMCC Members who wish to know how UAE employment law is applied in practice

Event details

Where

Almas Conference Centre

When

9:00am - 4:00pm, 24 Apr 2019

Price

AED 630 (inclusive of VAT)

Registration starts from 8:30am

Additional Information

Agenda

08:30 - 09:00

Registration

09:00 - 09:30

Employment in the UAE: Introduction

09:30 - 10:15

Case Study One: Recruitment and employment documentation

10:15 - 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 - 11:15

Case Study Two: Employment statutory and contractual benefits

11:15 - 11:45

Case Study Three: Protecting your business

11:45 - 12:00

Employment terminations: Introduction

12:00 - 13:00

Lunch Break

13:00 - 13:30

Case Study Four: Employee grievances and whistleblowing

13:30 - 14:00

Case Study Five: Employment terminations on the grounds of conduct and poor performance

14:00 - 14:30

Case Study Six: Employment terminations on the grounds of redundancy

14:30 - 15:00

Coffee Break

15:00 - 15:15

End of service gratuity: Calculation and examples

15:15 - 15:30

Employment litigation: Introduction

15:30 - 16:00

Round up of learning points and questions

16:00

Event close

Speakers

Luke Tapp
Partner, Pinsent Masons

As head of the Pinsent Masons Middle East Employment Practice, Luke advises clients based in the United Arab Emirates and Gulf region on all aspects of employment and labour law issues.

Chambers describes Luke as being "praised by sources as a very experienced and capable lawyer. Other commentators add that he's proactive and definitely someone to watch. He regularly advises clients on contentious and non-contentious matters, including before the DIFC courts".

Luke is ranked as a “Next Generation Lawyer” and an “Associate to Watch” by Legal 500 and Chambers respectively, and was awarded Young Lawyer of the Year at the 2017 DIFC Gala Dinner. 

Luke assists clients on all aspects of the labour laws of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. Luke regularly presents to clients and HR professionals on a variety of employment law topics

  • Assisted a tier one energy sector client on all aspects of its UAE employment terms and conditions and implementing change across the workplace arrangements, including changes under the UAE Labour Law and changes to the contractual terms and conditions of employment. The project we consulted on included changes to working hours and reductions in allowances and benefits. Our assistance included consulting with the client on the required amendments, the most effective way of implementing those amendments in accordance with the statutory requirements and incorporating the amendments into the terms and conditions of employment.
  • Provided consultation and legal support to a major financial Free Zone in preparing an Employee Handbook and several employee-related policies for implementation within the Free Zone. Our approach was to meet with the client to discuss their objectives and understand the legislative position and the areas where change was necessary to support the cultural and legal requirements. We prepared and finalised the handbook and delivered a presentation to a number of delegates on local employment law which included discussion around aspects of the policy. The client required us to prepare a policy which reflects the local legal requirements and also included elements of international best practice.
  • Assisted the DMCC Free Zone with the preparation of a guidance handbook and staff policies to be standardized and made available for all clients and companies incorporated within the free zone. Our handbook dealt with all aspects of employee relations and policies, including incorporating international best practice into the policies. We have also delivered presentations to hundreds of companies incorporated within the DMCC free zone on the applicable Labour Law and international best practice in respect of employee relations.
  • Assisted a semi-government conglomerate in establishing its workplace arrangements and employee policies for entities being incorporated in Kuwait, Oman, KSA and the UAE. This cross-border project required us to advise on all aspects of statutory employment benefits that operate across the five GCC jurisdictions and to assist with implementing these benefits, which included addressing areas such as working hours, agile working and part-time working hours. We also provided our client with advice on the employment and secondment of employees in the five jurisdictions. Our ongoing assistance reflects our ability to advise clients on all aspects of Middle East employment matters across the GCC jurisdictions. Our involvement included ensuring the policies reflected minimum statutory requirements across the GCC jurisdictions. We also advised the client on the consultation process to implement the policies.
  • Assisted a major conglomerate in the transfer of employment of its Middle East-based workforce from one employing entity to a newly established entity. The project involved advising on legal issues arising out of the transfer of employment from the entity established within a free zone into an onshore entity and the impact on employment law rights. We assisted the client in respect of its consultation process, preparing of transfer documentation and new employment contracts and preparation of associated HR policies.

Ruth Stephen
Associate, Pinsent Masons

Ruth is a UK qualified lawyer who specializes in advising companies in the GCC on their employment-related matters.

From the UK Ruth brings her in-depth knowledge of the unique mechanics of the volatile oil and gas arm of the energy sector.

Together with the energy industry, Ruth supports clients operating in a range of industry sectors including healthcare; construction; technology; retail; hospitality; insurance; and, banking and finance.

Ruth advises clients on compliance with the Federal Labour Law as well as the regulation in the free zones including the DIFC law in the Dubai International Finance Centre and the ADGM law in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. 

Through the team's network of international offices, Ruth supports clients on the application of mandatory employment law in different countries and the issues arising out of the operation of a multi-jurisdictional business staffed by a mobile workforce.  In jurisdictions where we do not have a presence, Ruth works with preferred providers of legal services to ensure clients achieve the seamless service that they need.

Ruth advises clients on a wide range of challenges business meet day-to-day. Examples of some of Ruth's work includes advising:

  • A global waste disposals company on changing its staff policies throughout the GCC.  We worked with colleagues and partnered law firms of choice in countries where we do not have an office. 
  • A global company operating in the energy sector on its risks and exposures from a privacy and cybercrime perspective in the UAE.
  • A global media company on its options for rolling out atypical working arrangements including part-time working, secondments and working across different branches while under the original employer's sponsorship. 
  • A financial institution regulated by the central bank on its Emiratisation quota and targets specific to the sector as per recent UAE regulations.
  • An insurance company on the secondment of one of its UAE employees to Oman.  This work involved linking-in with counsel in Oman to ensure that the immigration and labour requirements in Oman were carefully considered.
  • A healthcare provider on the transfer of its employees from its free zone entity branch to its newly incorporated onshore entity.  This included narrating the mechanics clearly via a tripartite agreement.

 

 

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