UAE Labour Law: All 8 types of employee leave explained – annual, sick, maternity, paternity and more

Dubai: If you have just started working in the UAE’s private sector, it is important to be aware of the different types of leaves you are entitled to. The UAE’s Labour Law – Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 – provides eight different types of leaves that employees can apply for, as well as the requirements you need to fulfil to be eligible, for certain leave categories. Here is a complete guide on the eight types of leave available and the rules that apply to each. 1. Annual leave Private sector employees are eligible to take two days of leave for each month of service, once they complete six months at a new job. Once they have completed one year of service, they are entitled to a fully paid annual leave of 30 days, according to Article 29 of the UAE Labour Law. The employee also gets a leave for parts of the last year he/she spent at work if his/her service is ended before using the annual leave balance. 2. Maternity leave Article 30 of the UAE’s Labour Law also sets out details of how female workers in the private sector can apply for maternity leave. As per the law, female employees are entitled to a maternity leave of 60 days in the private sector, as per the following breakdown: 45 days are fully-paid leave 15 days are half-paid leave. Employees can apply for this leave up to 30 days prior to the expected date of delivery. While this is the standard allocation of maternity leave, there are also cases when the maternity leave may be extended. For example, female workers can apply for an additional 45 days of leave without pay, if there is an illness as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, which stops them from resuming...