What is the annual leave law in UAE 2024?

Annual leave refers to the time off from work to take rest and relax. For workers, this is a good time to take a break from the hectic work schedule, travel with family, or visit their relatives. The annual leave is offered to the workers so that they can perform well in the workplace after the break and have a moment of relief with family and friends.
The annual leave in UAE allows employees to take:
Sick leaves
Maternity leave
Parental and
Hajj leave as a part of their annual leaves

Your Minimum Entitlement

Employers are entitled to 30 days of annual leave, according to UAE labor law. They can take these leaves after one year of employment completion. On the other hand, employees who have completed six months in the organization are eligible to take two annual leaves per month. In case of a termination, if you don’t use your annual leave then you are entitled to have a payout of those leaves.

How many vacation days are there in UAE per year?

Employees are eligible and have a right to get paid annual leaves of 30 days as per article 28. They can avail of these leaves, if they have completed one year of service. However, those workers who have not completed one year but have completed six months of service are eligible for two days of leave each month.

Leave Days Based on Service Length

Each employee is allowed and eligible for the annual leaves based on their service length, Let’s suppose:

• If an employee completed one year of service then he/she will be eligible to take 30 days of fully paid annual leave
• If an employee completed only six months of service then he/she will be entitled to avail of only two days of leave in a month

Public Holidays not Included

Public holidays are paid days off for employees. In case, if a public holiday falls on the time period of an employee’s approved period of leave, it comes down as the part of the leave. Companies are not required to give additional leaves, however some companies in the UAE do so it depends on company to company.

Taking Your Leave

Several type of annual leaves in UAE that an employee can avail of including:

Sabbatical Leave:
This type of leave is the same as annual leave. Given that, only Emiratis can avail of this kind of leave. This is also called academia. These leaves are provided to National workers only

Study Leave:
An employee can make their dream come true by availing this kind of leave. It can be taken by employees to advance their career in the UAE
The law states that employees who are in service for two or more years are eligible for ten days of study leave. It is granted to provide employee relief and they can sit in their examination.

Compassionate Leave:
Employees are allowed to take compassionate leave in the UAE to take time off in the event of the death of their relative/family member.

According to the article 32 which grants:

• Five-day leave in the event of the death of a spouse an
• Three days on the death of grandparents or siblings.

Hajj and Umrah Leave:

The UAE law grants up to 30 days of Hajj leave. This type of leave is for private employees and is unpaid leave. Hajj Leaves are mandatory to be provided by the employer while Umrah has no such provisions.

Maternity Leave:
Maternity leaves are provided to the female employees only who are expecting their baby. As per the article 30 of the UAE Labour Law,

• 60 days of maternity leaves are allowed with 45 days full pay and
• 15 days of maternity leaves are allowed on half-pay.
  In case of a complication, they are provided with an additional 45 days of unpaid leave. Note that this leave can be extended for 30 days.

Parental Leave
As a male employee, you are entitled to take parental leave. This leave is provided to male fathers on their child birth. According to Article 32 of the Federal Decree-Law No. 33, the male employee can avail of five full days of paid leave as parental leave.

Official National Holidays
According to the Article 28 the employees in UAE get paid off during the national holidays such as:

• Eid Al Fitr
• Arafah Day
• New Year’s Day
• Eid Al Adha
• Hijri New Year
• Prophet Mohammed’s birthday
• Commemoration Day, and
• National Day.
  Important Note: If the employee works during national holidays on employer’s wish then the employee must be provided 150% of their basic salary.

Sick Leaves
The workers should be provided with 90 sick leaves annually. Out of 90 days, they will be provided with full payment for the initial fifteen days. The next thirty days are half-paid, and the remaining forty-five days are unpaid.

Scheduling and Approval Process

Notice Period Requirements
Employers are required to notify the employees about their annual leaves. According to the law, they need to inform at least a month in advance so that they can plan their leaves accordingly.

Carrying Over Unused Leave

It depends on organization to organization. If your employer allows you to carry the unused leaves to the next year then you can do so. According to article 29, if the employee wants to accumulate his annual leaves over the next two years then he/she can encash them.

How many days of sick leave in the UAE?

As per the article 31 of the UAE labor law, workers should be given 90 days sick leave on an annual basis. The initial fifteen days of leaves are paid, the next thirty days are half-paid, and the remaining forty-five days are unpaid.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the UAE government allows employees to spend time with their family and hence they are entitled to get annual leaves in UAE after a specified period of their service as an employee. It’s a right of an employee to take time out from their busy schedules, have rest, relax and enjoy their time with family. However, workers need to be well informed about the UAE law about the leaves so that they can avail of the annual leave properly. Additionally, it is essential to inform your employer timely to avoid confusion

FAQs

What is the new law in the UAE for annual leave 2024?
Within the UAE, an employee has the proper right to get 30 days of annual leave.
Is annual leave mandatory in the UAE?
If the employees have already served more than six months in the organization then it is mandatory for organizations to provide them annual leaves.
Does a part time employee take annual leaves?
The law states that:
The annual leaves should also be provided to part-time employees. The number of leaves and duration will be determined by the employer.
How are annual leaves calculated in the United Arab Emirates?
Employers are eligible to avail of annual leaves as per the following UAE rule and regulation:
●      On completion of six months to one year of service, two days of annual leave per month is allowed
●      After one year of service, 30 days of leave can be taken.