I have resigned from my job and am working out my notice period. I have another job lined up and will start soon.
I don’t want my bank account to be frozen as I have bills to pay. Does my employer have to tell my bank that it is my last salary payment?
I also have a loan with the bank, although it is not big. Is there anything I can do to stop my account from being blocked? WS, Abu Dhabi
When someone receives their last salary payment before leaving a company, it is standard for it to be marked “final settlement”. The employer is obliged to do this, especially when they are aware someone may have outstanding liabilities such as a personal loan.
Once a bank is informed of a final salary payment, they are likely to freeze an account, especially when there are outstanding liabilities.
The reason for this is to prevent people from withdrawing their money and leaving the country without paying what they owe first.
The timescale for a bank to unfreeze an account varies. If the outstanding debt is small, some banks will unfreeze an account when presented with proof of a new job offer or a new employment visa.
In some cases, a bank will not unfreeze an account until the first salary payment is made.
In a situation where an individual expects an account to be frozen, it would be wise to withdraw some cash before the last salary payment is made so they can manage for a few weeks.
Having a good relationship with a bank and advising them of your circumstances may also be helpful as it shows there is every intention of continuing with the loan repayments. The bank may then be more amenable.
I have been working as a housemaid for a family for four months and the hours are long. I am only given one day off a month and am asked to work at all different hours.
Before I decide to leave and contact the agency that organised this job, I would like to know if I can be made to work these long hours as I am very tired. MV, Abu Dhabi
There are legal limits that relate to the hours all employees can work in the UAE. The rules for domestic workers are set out in Federal Law 10 of 2017 and supported by Cabinet Resolution 22 of 2019.
Article 12 of the law states: “1. The worker shall be entitled to one day of paid rest per week in accordance with the implementing bylaws. He/she may be required to work on a weekly rest day, in which case he/she shall be entitled to an alternative day of rest or payment of the equivalent of a day’s wage. 2. The implementing bylaws shall set the working and rest hours, subject to a minimum of twelve hours of daily rest, of which eight must be consecutive.”
Under the law, it is clear that all domestic staff are entitled to one full day off a week and cannot be asked to work for more than 12 hours during each 24-hour period.
Domestic workers now come under the protection of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE).
However, MV was employed through an agency and her first port of call should be to contact them to explain her situation as they should have clarified the law with the employer. The agency should explain the law again to the employer to ensure MV works no more than the legal maximum hours and has appropriate time off.
If the agency does not assist MV, she can lodge a formal complaint against them. A complaint about a domestic staffing agency can be made through any Tadbeer Centre, which is tasked with providing domestic worker services under the MoHRE.
Note that domestic workers are also entitled to annual leave under the law and this must be provided and taken.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser and senior partner with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with more than 25 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
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UAE salary guide 2022
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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THREE
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Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
