How are collective labour disputes handled in the UAE?
Where a dispute between an employer and all or a group of its workers is not settled, a complaint is filed with MOHRE within two weeks. Article 32 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 lets the Ministry seek a provisional seizure, use the workers' bank guarantee or insurance, and refer unsettled cases to a Collective Labour Disputes Committee.
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The committee
Committees formed by Cabinet resolution decide referred disputes, and their decisions are final and sealed for enforcement by the competent court.
Automatic registration for unpaid wages
Under Resolution 340 of 2026, MOHRE registers individual or collective disputes automatically on the sixteenth day after the wage due date for establishments with 25 or more unpaid workers, with the threshold applied across construction groups under common ownership.
How SupaJack Construct helps
Payroll batches and WPS files show which wages were paid and when, which is the record a contractor needs in any collective dispute.
Related tools and guides
See the UAE labour law guide for contractors, the final settlement calculator, the gratuity calculator, the annual leave calculator, the unpaid leave deduction calculator, payroll and WPS in SupaJack Construct, time and attendance and the meaning of basic salary.
Worked example
Sixty workers on a project are unpaid for two months and file a collective complaint on 3 March. MOHRE cannot settle it. It seeks a provisional seizure on the contractor, draws on the workers' guarantee, and refers the dispute to the committee.
Questions people ask
How long is there to file?
Two weeks from the date of the dispute.
Can MOHRE use the workers' guarantee?
Yes, without the employer's approval if the claim is substantiated.
Is the committee decision final?
Yes.