There is a lot of confusion about compliance of EK employment contracts with UAE Federal Labour Law.
The newest confusion can be found on the PPRUNE forum.
PPRUNE thread about EK and UAE Labour Law
While I was fighting for my rights I found out that Ministry of Labour in Dubai is not responsible for EK (I went to the Ministry myself). Ministry officials sent me to General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. When I explained to the Directorate official that I want to complain on EK for violating my contract, he just laughed and told me that “it’s a waste of time”. There is one office in that Directorate and it serves only for locals who have issues with governmental companies, but I was sent there anyway since there is no other place where you can file a complaint against EK. I never made it to file a complaint.
I have sent an e-mail to HR managers Ms. Michelle Carswell and Ms. Amanda Maxwell to answer me if EK is subject to the Federal Labour Law, and both of them sent me a direct answer: no.
You can read it here:
EK is not the subject of UAE Labour Law 1
EK si not the subject of UAE Labour Law 2
Seems like there is absolutely nobody to protect you in case you are harassed at work or in the case that your contract and your labour rights are violated. Actually, there are no labour rights to begin with, since EK is not the subject of any labour law.
No law, no rights.
Do Not Fly Emirates 
November 8th, 2014 at 15:14
My fellow ex Emirates colleague,
This post and this claim is absolutely true! I have also experienced the same when I’ve tried to file a report in Ministry of labour of Dubai. I was trying to protect myself from getting fired after having industrial injury and not being able, physically, to continue working as a cabin crew.
I’ve even payed the fee to fill out the complaint forms and when I came to the counter to submit it, they simply told me that Ministry of labour doesn’t deal or file reports against EK (For those who don’t know, EK stands for Emirates airline).
Further more, when I’ve taked to independent lawyer, he kindly advised me to hire some lawyer outside of U.A.E., as, by his words, no one will be willing to take the case against Emirates airline, as it’s owned by the ruler of Dubai.
Sadly, while this is the way of dealig with problems in Emirates, I highly doubt H.H. or any company representative in higher positions will ever know what is really going on within the company, as I never managed to pass by my manager and other manager from Welfare.
So, after a year of physio-therapy and no improvement whatsoever, management decided to offer me a job as a ground staff, where duties to be taken were completely against Emirates doctors advice and reports and were impossible for me to perform because of the nature of my injury.
Not to mention that salary with the job offered was way lower then the one I had operating as a cabin crew. Meaning, that with loan I was granted, based on my salary, I wouldn’t be able to even cover my monthly loan payment.
I’ve rejected that job offer for medical and financial reasons and was notified soon after that my contract with Emirates will be terminated without any compensation. When I asked my manager to hand me my final doctors evaluation, she refused by saying: “This document is confidential and is to be seen only by your doctor and management”. I kindly asked her to explain how could it be that I’m not allowed to see report on my own health, where she replied that it’s the company’s policy.
When I’ve mentioned that I know that I have every right to get that document and that I will try to get it through lawyers if necessary, she changed her very unpleasant and dominating tone and said that there is no need for that and she will try to get it for me.
Surely soon after that, two days to be exact, I was advised that my contract and work permit are canceled and that I have to leave Dubai in four days.
Not to go any deeper into threats and verbal abuse I’ve went through during my industrial injury, my debts I had to face after being fired, my back injury that will stay with me till the rest of my life, unsuccessful fight to make it right…all I can say is that I really enjoyed my job, time spent in Dubai and that I was willing to continue working there, at some suitable position, considering my injury that happened on-board, while on duty, but no one in management cared and that’s something, that vicious and unstoppable power they have, that should be addressed and reviewed by someone on higher positions from them.
I cannot stop to think and ask why was so wrong and was it too much to only ask to be treated as human? Injured, broken, insulted, humiliated, I still like to see myself as one!
I do apologize for the length of this post, had so much more to say, but I do believe this was quite enough for everyone to understand what has and still is going on in Head quarters of Emirates airline.
Thank you for reading this, all the best and I wish you good luck in your fight that I’ve already lost.
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November 8th, 2014 at 15:29
Draga Nataša, who says you lost your case? The only loser here is EK. They lost someone who was willing and still motivated to contribute the company, someone who is, apparently, intelligent and very well educated and whose language skills are admirable.
Srećno i tebi i hvala na komentaru. Bila si hrabra i uporna. Objaviću ga kao zaseban post. 🙂 Ako imaš neke mejlove ili dokumenta kao supporting evidence, pošalji mi ih na dragana.blog.ek(at)gmail.com. Možeš da mi pošalješ i imena menadžera sa kojima si razgovarala.
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November 8th, 2014 at 16:07
Sounds all too familiar Natasha. Thanks for the input. Ohh do I remember Welfare, their never ending questionnaire (522 questions ?? seriously?). The disdain of managers, doctors, and management in general. Health Documents that never saw the light of day let alone documents I could NEVER lay eyes on.
Too many shady areas. This company will eventually realize (I hope at least)… that they’re doing every part of it WRONG.
Best in your future endeavors.
Ben.
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November 12th, 2014 at 23:02
[…] I have a huge respect for its people, I find them good-hearted and generous. But, as I have wrote before Emirates Airline is NOT a subject of a Federal Labour Law in Dubai. This alone is a ground for all […]
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November 13th, 2014 at 09:07
So.. Emirates is a government organisation… One minute they’re not, next minute they are. I can’t keep up with when they are and when they aren’t. #wearewhenitsuitsus
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November 13th, 2014 at 12:07
Exactly like that.
Our contracts claim “compliance” (that’s the word) with Dubai Labour Law and Dubai Court of Law is mentioned as the court for any disputes between the employee and the company. But it’s a dummy contract, actually, since EK is not a subject of any governmental law.
It’s exactly what you have said: where and when it suits them. It often looks like a fraud to me. You sign something that promises you rule of law, and when you have a problem with them, you find out that you are completely unprotected and that you can end up in prison for literally anything.
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February 16th, 2015 at 22:26
[…] makes the current EK’s human resources crisis unbearable is the fact that Emirates Airline is above any labour law. It means that managers can and will do whatever they want and nobody can stop […]
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July 31st, 2016 at 16:00
Kind of ironic that Ahmed Salih uses a blog that his own Government tried to ban to promote the “non-discrimination” policy….
What am i missing?
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July 31st, 2016 at 21:42
Lies.
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