There’s not one but many reasons why a huge number of people head to the UAE for getting employment opportunities. However, the concerning factor is that most of them aren’t even aware of the UAE labour law and employee rights. This is why there have been cases of violation of employees’ rights.
Although there is always the option of contacting a law firm in Dubai if an employee is wrongly convicted, it’s still important to develop an understanding of basic employment rights and laws in the UAE.
In this post, we have discussed the top 3 of them. Read on to learn about them:
Leaves
Annual Leaves
Employees working in the UAE can take 2 leaves per month provided they have been employed in the firm for at least six months. If their employment duration has reached 12 months, they are entitled to take 30 days off during the year.
In case the company doesn’t grant an employee to take their annual leaves, they are bound to pay them the leave allowance, along with their regular salary. Furthermore, in case of service termination or resignation, the employee reserves the right to be paid for annual leaves they had not used.
Sick Leaves
As per the UAE Labour Law, employees are allowed to take sick leaves. However, the number of sick leaves shouldn’t exceed 90 days in a year. In the case of sick leaves, employees are entitled to receive full salary for the initial 15 days and 50% of their salary for the next 30 days. However, they can’t claim to receive a salary for the next 45 days. Moreover, an employee can’t be fired from their job during the sick leaves. The employer can only terminate their services if an employee fails to report to work after using all of their sick leaves.
An important thing to note here is that the employer reserves the right to ask the employee to undergo a medical examination to verify the authenticity of their sickness and leave application. Furthermore, in the case, if an employee is in probation, they aren’t entitled to apply for sick leave.
Maternity and Childcare Leave
Women are allowed maternity leaves for 45 days with full salary if they have completed one year of service. In case a woman applies for maternity leave before one year, she will receive only half her salary. Women are also entitled to extend their leaves for 10 days after 45 days. However, these leaves will be unpaid.
Paternity Leaves
Earlier, working fathers were not allowed to apply for paternity leaves. However, for the first time in the history of the country, new fathers working in the private sector are now entitled to apply for 5 paid paternity leaves as per the latest UAE Labour Law amendment.
Leave for Haj
The UAE Labour Law also grants Hajj leaves for employees for 30 days. This is unpaid leave, and an employee can apply it only once when they are working for a particular company.
Resignation
It’s a common belief among people that after they have put in their resignation letter, they need to wait for their employer’s approval for it to become valid. This is untrue as the moment an employee informs their employer of resignation, their notice period commences. This requires no approval or consent from the employer. However, the employee has to serve a notice period, which generally depends on the employment contract.
Termination
If an employee believes that they have been wrongfully terminated from their job, they reserve the right to receive compensation for arbitrary dismissal. However, if there’s any other issue due to which they received a termination letter, compensation may not be made, apart from their salary of the notice period and gratuity pay.
It is important for every employee working in the UAE to know about these three basic rights. In case the company your work for refuses to acknowledge these basic rights, you can consult one of the leading law firms in Dubai to take legal action against them. When working in Dubai, you can rest assured that your rights are protected. Therefore, you shouldn’t succumb to any pressure. Legal help is always there for assistance.
