Can I claim against my 'employer' who will not respond to contact, hsn't paid me, wont issue contract / offer

Employer registered a UK company to bring a UK arm over from Dubai, which is an established business owned by employer there. I worked for 7 days learning about the business and was promised a conract / offer letter on return.

He has flown me out to Dubai, issued me a corporate email address and had many face to face and phone meetings. My job was to open the London office.

I have not had contact now for 3 weeks, except a brief email saying 'contact you next week'.

However, I have not been paid, not recieved an offer letter or contract and after contacting employees in Dubai know that I am being ignored, but not why.

What claim do I have here and what should I do? I have already defaulted on several payments including rent, mortgage and credit cards because I have not been paid but have no official offer letter.

Will the proof that I was sent to Dubai, the corporate email address and my statement stand up if I try and prosecute him?

Any help appreciated.

Employers don't have to give you an offer letter, and they only have to give you a contract of employment after you've been there eight weeks. So your employer isn't in the wrong on these counts. Having said that they don't have to give you an offer letter, a verbal agreement is as good as anything written, so they still need to abide by it.

I would contact ACAS for further advice, but my thoughts would be that you should be paid for all the days that you've worked - but how are you going to prove that you worked the days that you said you did? Can you prove that you were in an office (e.g. did you have to swipe through a turnstile which would have kept a record)? Will your email account show a record of business-related emails being sent on those days?

However, I also think that all of what you say will not stand up as concrete proof. You went to Dubai to learn the business - your employer could argue that you went for a trial period which you failed. Again, the email address could have been set up just for a trial period, or maybe the employer could even delete it - they obviously control the system.

Basically, I would find yourself another job now. ACAS will probably tell you that you can take your employer to a tribunal, but this can be a lengthy process so if your rent's due tomorrow, this isn't going to help you for now. Make sure there's no way that you could be accused of abandoning your job - you need to make it clear that they have terminated all contact with you.

This is a very odd way for a legitimate company to operate.

It is possible that the parent company is having doubts about setting up in UK - however I would expect them to inform you and ask you to be patient ..

In any event, it seems clear you have grounds for breach of contract (although if they have on UK presence you may have to sue them in Dubai) ..I assume you must have some paperwork .. at least what your job role in UK must have been defined and written down some-where and (I assume) you have a outline Contract of Employment (even it it's not signed ..)

Plainly, before you can start work you would need access to Company funds .. so I guess you will have their Bank Account numbers (and perhaps a cheque book) ?

NB. There are a LOT of 'scams' going on where individuals are being 'awarded' jobs via email and then being conned out of 拢1,000's in 'application fees' etc. ... I hope you have not fallen foul of such criminals .. if so, be extra carefull of any further eMail contact from 'Funds Recovery Agency' or some such (where the 'Authorities' in Dubai promise to refund your losses, but first you have to pay some 'investigation fee' or some-such).

contact www.acas.co.uk they will be able to help.