The UAE Labour Law- All you Need to Know
There are many opportunities that are going to come your way if and when you choose to set up a business in the UAE. However, such opportunities come along with a myriad number of responsibilities, which business owners must fulfil.
All this and more form a part of the UAE labour laws, which can seem quite demanding, especially if someone is not familiar with the work environment of the country. Hence, to make things simpler, we at the center at Tawjeeh in Sharjah bring to you this guide that enlists the key areas of the UAE labour laws so that you can understand it better. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the UAE Labour Law
The UAE Labour Law also technically known as Federal Law No. 8 (1980), dictates the labour rights of employees working in the private sector.
The law covers an extensive range of regulations that cover employees in the UAE for the following-
- Working hours,
- Leave days (sick, maternity, vacation)
- Health and safety
- Termination
- The end of service payments and more
According to Article 3 of the UAE Labour Law, the regulations apply to all UAE employees, whether they are nationals or ex-pats.
Below are some of the regulations explained in brief.
- Health and safety: According to the law, the Directors must set out their own approach for health and safety measures, also making them responsible for any kind of breach. In case of a breach, the director of an organization has to pay a fine which might be accompanied with an imprisonment sentence for up to six months.
- Working hours: This falls under Article 65 of the UAE Labour Law. According to this,
- Working hours for employees in the private sector must either be eight hours a day or 48 hours a week.
- Work timings must be reduced by two hours every day during Ramadan.
- work hours can be reduced, however, it can only be increased to nine hours for businesses and the hospitality sector after receiving approval from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
- Employees who work for industries that are physically demanding are expected to seven hours a day and not more.
- Holidays: The holiday entitlement, under the UAE Labour Law, for the private sector is 30 days annually after an employee has completed more than a year in a role. For the first six months, there can be no holidays. However, between six months and a year, holidays are accrued at two days per month.
- Sick pay: The law entitles employees sick pay after successful completion of the six-month probation. Six months after that, employees are entitled to 15 days leave on full pay with an additional 30 days on half-pay.