UAE labour law for paid leaves in the UAE
A Better Work-life Balance is achieved by allowing employees to take time off during public holidays, vacations and leaves, which contributes to more productive and happier employees at the company. It is never easy to manage employees’ leaves and vacations and link them to payroll calculations while staying in compliance with UAE labour laws and regulations. Here is where the human resource management system like HR Chronicle plays a vital and significant role. HR Chronicle is the Leading HR and Payroll Management Software of the Middle East Region which is compliant with the Middle East labour laws and regulations. HR Chronicle fully automates the leave management system.
Below is the list of different types of leaves that are applied and regulated by the UAE Labor law and according to the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MOHRE)
Annual Leave
The worker shall be entitled during every year of service to an annual leave of no less than the following periods:
- Two days for each month should the period of service of the worker be of six months to at least a year at most.
- Thirty days for each year should the period of service of the worker exceed one year
- Should the service of the worker be terminated; the worker shall be entitled to an annual leave for the fractions of the last year.
Sick Leave
The worker shall not be entitled to any paid sick leave during the probation period. An employee is entitled to a sick leave of not more than 90 days per year, only after the end of the probationary period. The 90 days of sick leave can be continuous or intermittent, and the salary is paid as follows:
- Full pay for the first 15 days.
- Half pay for the next 30 days
- After 45 days of leave, any additional sick leave is always unpaid
Hajj Leave / Pilgrimage Leave:
Employees may be granted special leave for the performance of Hajj under the provisions that the leave:
- is given without pay
- may not exceed 30 days
- is granted only once during the employment duration with the company.
Maternity Leave
A female employee is entitled to a maternity leave of 60 days, out of which:
- 45 days will be fully-paid leave
- 15 days will be half-paid leave
- A female employee may apply for her maternity leave up to 30 days prior to the expected date of delivery
Paternity Leave
Employees of the private sector are entitled to a parental leave of 5 working days from the day of the birth of their child to six months. Parental leave is a paid leave that can be applied for by both mother and father of the baby.
Public Holidays
Below is a list of statutory public holidays for the UAE. Click here for a list of current holidays in the UAE.
- Gregorian New Year: 1 January
- Eid Al Fitr: From 29 Ramadan to 3 Shawwal* (4 days)
- Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice): From 9 to 12 Dhu al Hijjah* (4 days)
- Hijri New Year (Islamic New Year): 1 Muharram
- Prophet Mohammed’s birthday
- Commemoration Day (previously known as Martyr’s Day) 30 November
- National Day: 2 and 3 December (2 days)Note: Islamic holidays are determined according to moon sightings.
Compassionate leave (Bereavement leave)
An employee of the private sector is entitled to
- a paid leave of five days in the event of the death of a spouse and
- a paid leave of three days in the event of the death of a parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent
Study Leave
An employee, who is studying in one of the UAE’s certified educational institutions is entitled to a paid leave of 10 days per year to sit for examinations. To apply for this leave, one must have completed at least two years of service with the employer.
As you can see above there are many leave types which are mandated by the UAE Labour Law, however, depending on the industry and your work contract your company may have variations according to the nature of your work contract. For legal advice always consult a legal professional like a lawyer or the Ministry directly.
HR Chronicle is the leading Cloud-based HR and Payroll Management Software in the Middle East Region. HR Chronicle is the best HR Software for automating the HR process. We offer enterprise-grade features in a simple yet powerful way to power your HR department. It is a SaaS-based HR system, which provides payroll service solutions across the Middle East Region.
To automate your HR and payroll process; contact HR Chronicle at info@hrchonicle.com or visit us at our website at: https://www.hrchronicle.com
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