How to File a Labour Complaint in Kuwait for Unpaid Indemnity or Wages

To claim unpaid end of service indemnity or wages in Kuwait, apply to the competent labour department of the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM). It summons you and your employer and tries to settle. If it cannot, it sends the case to the Court of First Instance within one month. Your claim is not heard once one year has passed since your contract ended (Art. 144), so file early.

The Labour Law makes the labour department the first stop. A case has to be preceded by an application from the worker to the competent labour department, which summons the parties (Arts. 146-147).

The "competent" department is your labour relations unit. PAM also runs an online service where you can register a labour dispute and follow it.

1. Write to your employer. State the amount you say you are owed and the date you want it paid. The demand letter generator writes a dated letter. Keep a copy or a message record. This is not a legal step, but it gives the department a clear starting point.
2. Get your online login at your labour relations unit, as shown above.
3. File the complaint online, or in person. Describe the dispute, attach your documents. You can follow the complaint online.
4. Note your reference number. Keep it, with every message and stamped paper you are given.
5. Go to the settlement session. The department summons both sides.
6. If there is no settlement, the department refers the case to the Court of First Instance within one month of the date you applied. The court sets the first hearing within 3 days (Arts. 146-147).

Kuwaiti law counts more than basic pay as your wage: periodic allowances, commissions and similar regular payments are part of it (Art. 55). Keep the payslips that show them.

Work out what you are owed before you file. The Kuwait indemnity calculator gives the figure on basic salary; add regular allowances to the basic you enter (Art. 55). The complete Kuwait guide explains how it is built.

Claims by workers under the Labour Law are not heard after one year from the date the employment contract ended (Art. 144). The one-year bar applies where the employer denies the claim (Art. 144). Treat the end of your contract as the start of the clock, and file well inside the year.

One more date to watch: if you stop coming to work without an acceptable reason for 7 days in a row, or 20 days in total within a year, your employer may treat you as having resigned (Art. 42). The resignation shares in Article 53 then apply to your indemnity, so do not stop work while a complaint is open.

Worker claims are exempt from court fees (Art. 144). No fee for the labour department stage is published.

Bring whatever proves your claim: your contract, your civil ID, payslips or bank statements, the letter or message that shows how and when the job ended, and your own calculation with the dates you used. PAM does not list a fixed set of documents on its public pages.

The department does not need your employer to agree. If it cannot reach an amicable settlement, it refers the case to the Court of First Instance within one month of your application (Art. 146). The court then decides, and the case is heard promptly with no judicial fees for you (Art. 144).

The amount you can claim depends on how your contract ended. Read what you keep if you resign and the calculation table. For a quick check of what you were paid, use the settlement checker.