Job offer withdrawn after resignation: Employee rights under UAE labour law

A signed job offer may amount to an agreement but not necessarily a legally enforceable contract

- Ashish Mehta

Question: | am in a tricky situation. I resigned from my current job after receiving and accepting a job offer from another company.

However, my new employer is now planning to withdraw the offer letter, according to a contact who interviewed me. He was apologetic but said there was nothing he could do. What are my legal rights in this situation? Can 1 sue the company? I am currently serving my notice period, as my current employer has accepted my resignation. Can I withdraw my resignation? How does this process work legally?

Answer: Pursuant to your queries, it is assumed that you have received a job offer from an employer incorporated in the mainland of Dubai, hence the provisions of the ministerial decree and the administrative resolution of the UAE employment law are applicable.

In the UAE, an offer letter signed by an employer and its prospective employee may be considered an agreement, but not a contract. In general, an offer letter may be considered an informal agreement, whereas a contract is enforceable by law.

Therefore, all contracts are agreements, but not all agreements are contracts.