As a dynamic economic hub, United Arab Emirates has a large workforce. Together with many Emirati nationals, a large number of expatriates are part of the working class. UAE labour law has several regulations to safeguard the rights of the employees.
It empowers companies to build a conducive environment for running business operations. Work-life balance and other measures make the corporate culture more efficient for everyone. Moreover, these provisions help enterprises in ensuring employee retention and boosting work productivity.
UAE labour law enables human resources to work without judgement or humiliation of any kind. In case, there are any breach by the employer, then workers can file a legal case in the court. Professional corporate lawyers in the UAE can assist you in the fair implementation of labour provisions and any court litigation.
Provisions of UAE labour law for contractual employment
Employers and employees have to consider these critical aspects of the UAE labour law relating to the contractual employments.
Now, we briefly look upon these aspects.
Employment contract
On the time of hiring, it is important for the employer to prepare a proper written employment contract. It is also known as the employee appointment letter. Accordingly, it must describe the nature of job, and relative things like leaves per month and other benefits.
Legal contractual binding
Employment contract provides awareness to both the employers and the employees about their responsibilities. This document describes the obligations of the employees in depth. Moreover, it details the benefits that the employer has to provide to the employees in the return of their services.
Leave entitlements
UAE labor law provide these different types of leaves to facilitate the employees in work-life balance.
- Paid leaves: Employees can avail 30 days of paid leaves, after completion of 1 year of service in a single company.
- Sick leaves: UAE labour law allows the employees to get 15 days of paid sick leave. In the event, employees require more time for recovery, they can get 30 more half-paid leaves.
- Maternity leaves: After an year of service, female employees can avail 40 days of paid maternity leave.
Working hours
Normally, the UAE labor law requires that the employees should work for eight hours a day. However, it supports other arrangements of the working hours. Embracing the digital nomad lifestyle, UAE allows freelancing and other remote work arrangements.
Job termination
Employers can justly terminate employees on certain reasons like these.
- Misconduct: Fraud, theft, or a severe violation can result in the termination of job.
- Low performance: Employees not performing well after continuous chances can face termination.
- Contract expiry: Strictly contractual jobs can result in employment termination without notice, after the end of the contract duration.
Important contents of the UAE employment contracts
A well-structured employment contract in the UAE includes the following information.
- Job title: This clearly specifies the role of the employee in the company.
- Employment type: It defines the kind of the employment from full time, part time, contract, permanent, etc.
- Employee responsibilities: They describe the duties that the employee has to perform.
- Salary and benefits: They outline the remuneration and other allowances.
