Uae Employment
UAE employment deals with all the aspects involved in an employer-employee relationship in the United Arab Emirates. First of all, in order to hire a worker, an employment contract outlining the terms and conditions of employment must be entered into. It is not compulsory for these contracts to be made in writing. Two types of contracts are permitted by the UAE: limited or fixed term contract and unlimited contract. The limited contract covers a specified period of employment while the unlimited contract is terminated only if any of the parties involved decides to do so.
In the UAE, it is common to employ persons on a probationary period during which both the employer and the employee may terminate the contract. Once this period has been completed, it is considered part of the overall term of employment. Wages may be paid monthly, weekly or daily once both parties agree on the manner in which they will be paid. Likewise, wages may take the form of any currency once both parties agree.
The employment of juveniles of any gender under age 15 is strictly prohibited. Women must not be employed at nights between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. except for those employed in technical and administrative positions or health workers. The employment of women for risky or difficult work is prohibited.
The standard working hours for an adult employee is 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. If the nature of the job requires the service an employee overtime, he is entitled to be paid the ordinary rate plus an additional 25% of the wage overtime period. Overtime should not surpass 2 hours per day.
For every year of service, an employee is entitled to 2 days leave for every month if he has worked for more than 6 months. If the employment period exceeds a year, the employee is entitled to 30 days annually. During leave, an employee must be paid his basic wage plus any other applicable allowance he receives during normal working time. Employees should be paid their full wage and the wages for leave days before taking annual leave. If employment is terminated, the employee should be paid for the leave period.
All employees are entitled to the following official holidays:
- Hijri New Year’s Day
- Gregorian New Year’s Day
- Eid Al Fitr
- Eid Al Adha and Waqf
- Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday
- Isra and Al Miraj
- National Day
An Employee must report any condition that prevents him from working. After probation, the employee is entitled to paid sick leave. A working woman is entitled to 45 days maternity leave with full pay once she has served for more than a year. She may extend the leave to 10 more days without pay.
The rules and regulations should be displayed in a visible place at the workplace. Every employer is responsible for the safety of employees and measures should be put into place to ensure that.
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