Tributes have been paid to a close adviser of Sheikh Zayed who died on Monday at the age of 89.
Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hashemi ran the Ruler of Abu Dhabi's private office at a time of the discovery of oil and rapid economic development.
He oversaw the founding president's palaces, farms and personnel while supervising the construction projects he funded.
Abdulrahim Al Hashemi, his nephew, said he was a dedicated public servant who "loved Abu Dhabi".
"He dedicated his entire life, from a young man until his last days, in the service of his country," he told The National from the funeral on Monday.
Al Hashemi was raised in an educated family of religious scholars, while his father was a judge.
He first served Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan and later Sheikh Zayed, who took over as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, "whom he loved and regarded as family" his nephew said.
“It wasn’t a relationship between a ruler and his subjects, but that of kin.
"He rarely travelled because he couldn’t bear to be away from Abu Dhabi."
In 2011, Al Hashemi was a recipient of the Abu Dhabi Award, one of the highest civic honours.
In their note, judges noted that he also oversaw projects involving Hajj and Umrah and financial and administration in early government.
"Throughout his lifetime of loyal and dedicated service, Abdullah worked silently with honesty, sincerity, determination, commitment and initiative," they wrote.
He is survived by six sons and four daughters.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
