I have been employed as an accounts clerk for a few years. However, my employer has now hired someone else for this job and I have been asked to work in the main administrative office in a very different role.
I liked my job in accounts. Can the company make me do a different job? SB, Abu Dhabi
Federal decree-law no (33) of 2021, known as the new labour law, covers this situation in Article 12. It states: “The worker may not be assigned to undertake work that is fundamentally different from the work agreed upon in the employment contract, unless it is necessary in order to prevent the occurrence of an accident or to rectify the resulting damages, provided that the assignment is temporary and in accordance with what is specified in the implementing regulation hereof.”
It seems that SB’s change of role is not down to a major problem, so the employer should not have made this change without her agreement. By law, her agreement is required in writing.
SB can register a case against the employer with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for breach of the law. But, in reality, this could result in a difficult work environment. Therefore, since her salary has not changed, SB will need to make a sensible decision.
If SB leaves the company since there is no role for her in accounts, she may have a case for arbitrary dismissal. This will need to be backed up by a contract of employment that states her former role. However, there is no guarantee of winning the case if there has been no change to her salary or workplace.
The maximum claim would be three months’ salary, but that is the most that can be awarded by courts.
I work for an oil and gas company in Abu Dhabi but often travel for work. This usually entails travelling to places such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I recently got married and want to take out life cover. But when I spoke to a broker, they said I could not be insured because of where I travel to.
Is this really the case as there must be a lot of people who travel to these countries? Do I have any options? HM, Abu Dhabi
HM certainly has options and it is possible to arrange life cover for people who travel, although with restrictions.
From the perspective of an insurance company, certain countries are considered higher risk. This means that life insurance for someone living in the GCC who travels to such countries could be subject to a higher premium. The amount of increase is considered on a case-by-case basis.
In each case, consideration is given to their occupation, frequency of travel, exact location in a country, activities and any security measures in place.
In some cases, the person will be offered life cover without an increase in premium, but with an exclusion for travel to a certain country. If that is the case, I would expect the employer to have a short-term risk plan in place as it may be excluded by all standard insurers.
I have arranged many such life policies over the years and while more work and information is required, there is no reason why people who travel to higher-risk counties cannot be eligible for protection policies.
My wife and I are travelling to Dubai next month from Dublin, but we recently realised that we require six months’ validity on a passport from the date of travel.
She is an Irish citizen but has only three months left before her passport expires. We are only staying for 10 days and have hotel reservations.
Is there any way that she could travel to the UAE? CK, Ireland
The rules are strict regarding the validity of passports to enter the UAE and the standard rules for international travel apply.
For non-residents of the UAE, a passport with validity of at least six months is required. Without that, a passenger is unlikely to be allowed to fly as they will not be permitted to board a plane.
The initial responsibility lies with the airline and they can be fined if they allow someone to board a plane without the correct documents. Even if she was permitted to fly, she will probably be turned away on arrival by UAE immigration officials.
For people with UAE residence visas, the minimum passport validity required is usually three months.
Therefore, CK’s wife will need to arrange a new passport before flying to the UAE. Note that emergency travel documents issued by some countries are not valid for entry into the UAE.
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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SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
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Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
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Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
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Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Draw:
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Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
Honeymoonish
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
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But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
