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 emirate’s employment laws and rights. This is why numerous cases have been reported on the 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 know about them:

Leaves

Annual Leaves

Employees working in the UAE can take 2 leaves per month. However, there is a condition. They can apply for leaves if they have been employed in the firm for at least six months. If their employment duration has reached 12 months, they can take 30 days off during the year.

In case, the company doesn’t allow an employee to take their annual leaves, they have 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 receive payment for annual leaves they had not used.

Sick Leaves

As per the UAE Labour Law, employees can take sick leaves. However, the number of sick leaves shouldn’t exceed 90 days in a year. In the case of sick leaves, employees can receive full salary for the initial 15 days. However, thier salary will be reduced to 50% for the next 30 days. However, they can’t claim to receive a salary for the next 45 days. Moreover, the employer cannot fire an employee from their job during 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 on probation, they cannot apply for a sick leave.

Maternity and Childcare Leave

The UAE labour law allows women to take maternity leaves for 45 days with full salary, provided they have completed one year of service. In case a woman applies for maternity leave before one year, she will receive only half salary. Women can extend their leaves for 10 days after 45 days. However, these leaves will be unpaid.

Paternity Leaves

Earlier, there was no rule or provision pertaining paternal leaves for working fathers. However, for the first time in the history of the country, new fathers working in the private sector can 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. However, 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 latter. 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, they may not get compensation, if the employer terminated them on a valid ground. In such a case, they will only get their basic salary for the notice period along with gratuity pay.

It is important for every employee working in the UAE to know about these three basic rights. In case the company you work for refuses to acknowledge these basic rights, you can consult a law firm in Dubai to take legal action against them. For the most professional guidance, contact Davidson & Co Legal Consultants. It is an award-winning law firm you can rely on to get an effective solution for all your legal issues.