Construction sites across the UAE run on tight schedules and thin margins, and when cash flow gets squeezed, wages are often the first thing to slip. For the workers on scaffolding, on rebar crews, and behind concrete mixers, a delayed or missing paycheck isn’t a paperwork issue — it’s rent, remittances home, and food on the table. Fortunately, the UAE has built one of the region’s most accessible systems for resolving exactly this problem: the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, or MOHRE. Filing a salary complaint is free, doesn’t require a lawyer, and is designed so that a worker with a phone or a smartphone can do it alone.
Who Can File, and Why It Matters for Construction Workers
Any private-sector employee whose employer holds a mainland trade licence regulated by MOHRE can file a labour complaint for unpaid or delayed wages. That covers the vast majority of construction workers in the UAE, whether they are on full-time contracts, temporary project-based agreements, or hourly arrangements. Construction is one of the sectors most exposed to wage disputes, since project financing delays, subcontractor disputes, and cash-flow crunches on large developments frequently trickle down into missed payroll for the labourers actually doing the work.
The good news is that the system doesn’t distinguish between a site engineer and a labourer without a smartphone. A construction worker can call MOHRE’s helpline, describe unpaid overtime in Arabic or another language, and receive a verbal complaint reference number within the same call — meaning the process works entirely by phone if needed.
Know Your Deadline
Before anything else, workers need to understand the clock. Under Article 54(9) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as amended, a wage complaint must be filed within two years of the date the salary became due. Miss that window, and the right to claim is lost regardless of how strong the case is. Some more recent guidance frameworks reference tighter windows for certain dispute types, so the safest approach is always to file as soon as a payment is missed rather than waiting.
Step 1: Gather Evidence Before You File
MOHRE processes complaints fastest and most successfully when workers arrive with clear documentation. For a construction worker, that typically means:
- Employment contract (or whatever proof of employment exists if the original isn’t available)
- Emirates ID or passport copy
- Salary slips or bank statements showing past payments
- Any WhatsApp messages, texts, or emails referencing unpaid wages
- An itemised list of exactly what is owed — unpaid salary by month, plus end-of-service gratuity, notice pay, or unused leave if the dispute involves termination
This last point matters more than most workers realise. Under Article 22 of the UAE Labour Law, employers are required to pay wages through the Wage Protection System (WPS), which creates an electronic government record of every salary transfer. If a contractor has missed payments, that WPS data becomes powerful evidence, and MOHRE can pull those records directly to verify whether and when a worker was actually paid. Even workers without a contract in hand can still file — MOHRE accepts complaints filed with whatever proof is available, including salary evidence, messages, and identification documents.
Step 2: Choose a Filing Channel
MOHRE offers several ways to file, which matters on construction sites where smartphone access and internet connectivity vary:
- MOHRE Smart App (iOS/Android) — log in using UAE Pass, navigate to employee services, and select the labour complaint service. This is the fastest route for workers with a smartphone.
- Online portal — visit mohre.gov.ae, go to Labour Complaints, then “File New Complaint.”
- WhatsApp or phone hotline — message or call 600590000, MOHRE’s 24/7 line, using the “My Salary” service for wage-specific complaints.
- Toll-free helpline, 800 60 — free from any UAE mobile or landline, with operators handling both Arabic and English. This is the most practical option for a worker without a smartphone: a call generates a verbal complaint reference number that should be written down immediately.
- Labour Claims and Advisory Centre, reachable at 80084, for guidance on navigating the process or the eventual labour court stage.
Whichever channel is used, the worker should specify whether the actual salary received matches the contracted amount, select “unpaid or delayed wages” as the complaint type, and enter the exact claim amount. Once submitted, MOHRE sends a confirmation along with a unique transaction number that should be saved to track the complaint’s progress.
What Happens After Filing
Once a complaint is registered, MOHRE typically works to resolve it within 14 working days. During that period, the ministry may request documentation, interview both parties, and propose settlement terms. Notably, MOHRE can also order the employer to continue paying the worker’s salary for up to two months while the dispute remains under investigation — a protection specifically meant to prevent workers from going unpaid during a lengthy dispute.
If MOHRE resolves the matter within that window, it issues a binding decision with the same enforcement weight as a court judgment. If the claim is AED 50,000 or less, MOHRE can issue that binding decision directly. For larger claims where mediation fails, the case is automatically referred to the labour court, which must schedule a first hearing within three working days of the referral. Workers should be aware of one strict deadline here too: under Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022, anyone whose complaint is referred to court must register the case with the court within 14 days of that referral — missing it can jeopardize the claim entirely.
Fees and Protections Workers Should Know
Filing with MOHRE costs nothing. For claims of AED 100,000 or less, workers are also exempt from court fees under Article 55 of the Labour Law if the case proceeds to litigation — the system is deliberately structured this way so a worker’s ability to pay never determines their ability to be paid fairly. Complaints are also treated confidentially, and employers are not notified of who filed against them until the formal process begins, reducing the risk of retaliation on-site.
The Bottom Line
For construction workers facing unpaid wages in the UAE, the path forward doesn’t require a lawyer, a fee, or even a smartphone — just documentation, an accurate claim amount, and a call to 800 60 or 600590000. The system is built around exactly this scenario: workers with limited resources needing a fast, free, and enforceable way to recover money they’ve already earned. The only real risk is delay — with a two-year filing window and fast-moving procedural deadlines once a case is filed, the smartest move for any worker facing a missed paycheck is to act immediately rather than wait it out.