UAE LABOUR LAW
UAE Labour Law - If you are operating a company in the UAE, it is vital to be up-to-date with the new UAE labour law 2022. Complying with the new law will allow you to run your business effectively and avoid • Ensuring more flexibility for employees. • Additional leave types for employees. How can our team help you? In case you need help to get familiar with the new UAE Labour Law 2022, our team of specialists will help you. And with our assistance, you will be able to get help with the following aspects of the UAE labours law: • Understand all changes. • Clarify your doubts and answer questions. • Make your business comply with the law. The relationship between you and your employees is the foundational stone of the work culture in your organization. In essence, if this relationship is well managed, it can be translated to motivated employees and happiness for you. To achieve it, the relationship must make the employees feel that their well-being is being considered by you. This is only possible when legal requirements are established between them and you. Here is where UAE Labour Law comes in. It sets up the legal obligations and rights of your employees and you as their employer. Besides, it also establishes the policies and procedures regarding agreements with your employees, working days, overtime, and others topics of this nature. Now, if your company’s workplace is in Dubai, you must ensure that your organization follows up all the federal regulations regarding UAE Labour Law. However, in successful companies, like yours, keeping track of the legal issues related to employment can be difficult. If this is your case, you should seek the services of Labour Lawyers. We at Connect Legal have a team of skilled Labour Lawyers in Dubai at your disposal. Get in touch with us to see what our Labour Lawyers can do for you. 1. The New UAE Labour Law 2022 Countries with a fast-evolving economy must be flexible about updating their laws to keep up with a constantly changing business environment. The reason for this is that societies change, and the legal framework has to adapt to these changes to ensure that economy keeps on growing. The UAE are the perfect example of this. Hence, the UAE authorities are making efforts to set up a great environment between workers and employers that encourage local and foreign investment. As a result, on February 2, 2022, a New UAE Labour Law 2022 took effect in the country: Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021. This new law completely replaces the previous UAE Labour Law: Federal Law No. 8 of 1980. To adapt your business to these new requirements, our team of Labour Lawyers in Dubai can help you. Their deep understanding of this new UAE Labour Law will allow you, with their services, to perform a smooth transition of your company to the new employment policies and procedures. Now, to show you what we can do for you at Connect Legal regarding employment, let us take you on a journey through the most significant changes in the New UAE Labour Law 2022: 1.1. Fixed-Term Contracts With the previous law, your business in the UAE had the possibility of having employees with a non-fixed-term contract. By doing so, they could provide you with their service continuously on a rolling basis. However, this is no longer the case. The New UAE Labour Law 2022 states that your employees must be placed on Fixed-Term Contracts with a maximum term of three years or less. Furthermore, it also states that there is no limit on the number of Fixed-Term Contracts that your employees may enter into successively. As our Labour Lawyers in Dubai will tell you, this is the most substantive change in the new law, and it demands to you the rewriting of many of your employees’ contracts. Therefore, seek for our provided UAE Labour Law services to apply this big employment change into your organization. 1.2. Probationary Period This is one topic in which both prior and new laws are similar. In essence, they both establish a maximum Probationary Period of six months for new employees. But, the new UAE Labour Law 2022 does include some changes here. It states that you must provide to your employees on probationary period a minimum of fourteen days written notification of your intentions to terminate their contract. In the case of the employee’s intention to resign, he/she must give a one month’s notice if they are going to join another employer in the UAE. This period is of fourteen days if the employee wants to leave the UAE. To enforce these new time limits on notifications regarding new employees, the services of our Labour Lawyers may come in handy. 1.3. Resting Days As it is in every other country, the UAE have resting days for employees established by law. However, this new law introduces a small change regarding this matter. In the 1980’s law, Friday was a mandatory rest day for your employees, but this now has been modified too. The new law states that the rest day can be any day of the week. The only requirement is an agreement between the employer and his/her employees about the selected rest day. This comes with a problem: Every employee can reach an agreement on a specific rest day. Therefore, it is a lot of work on negotiations. To sum up, our expert lawyers on the New UAE Labour Law can assist you regarding this topic in your company. All you need to do is ask us about our Labour Lawyers’ services. 1.4. Salary Payments’ Currency The prosperous economy of the UAE has attracted a high number of multinational companies to the country. Now, the presence of foreign investments also involves the use of different currencies in finances. But, this was not the case for the employees’ salary payments, which required the mandatory use of the local currency under the prior UAE Labour Law. Now, it is different. The new UAE Labour Law 2022 relaxes these mandatory requirements, allowing you to play your employees’ salaries in any currency agreed with them in their contract. Use the services of our skilled Labour Lawyers to include these agreements into your employees’ contracts, erasing any legal worries you may have. 1.5. Annual Leave A break from work is always something you need in a part of the year. Regarding this subject for companies in the UAE, the prior UAE Labour Law allowed employees to postpone their annual leaves. This is no longer the case. The new UAE Labour Law 2022 establishes that your employees must use their annual leave in the same calendar year it accrues. Furthermore, they cannot use it by reaching a written agreement with you. Do you feel that you will not have the time to discuss these agreements with your employees? Do not worry, a get our Labour Lawyers’ services to perform this task for you. 1.6. Maternity Leave The main function of any UAE Labour Law is the protection of the rights of both employers and employees. On the other hand, this is especially true when it comes to the case of pregnant female employees. In this matter, the New UAE Labour Law 2022 increases your female employees’ maternity leave period from forty-five days to sixty days. Of these sixty days, the first forty-five will be with full pay and the remaining ones with one-half pay. In addition, the new law also includes entitlements for the cases of stillbirths and the death of infants. Besides, it establishes a shorter period of six months for nursing breaks, in comparison with the eighteen months in the prior law. Finally, the new law also protects female pregnant employees, establishing that you are prohibited to terminate their employment contract based only on the fact of their pregnancy. Undoubtedly, there are a lot of new periods to learn and apply. Thus, go to your computer or your phone and reach out to us regarding our Labour Lawyers’ services, and let them help you. 1.7. Suspensions We do not wish that you suffer the case of having bad employees, but unfortunately, it can happen. However, even a bad employee must have his/her entitlements respected. For this, the new UAE Labour Law 2022 included changes regarding the topic of suspensions. In essence, under the new law, you can suspend your employees for up to thirty days with one-half pay. But, if their disciplinary investigation comes with the results of clearing them of any wrongdoing, you are legally obligated to reimburse them all their withheld pay. Our expert lawyers on UAE Labour Law can provide representation to either you or your employees during these investigations, and help to end suspensions as soon as possible. 1.8. Termination of Contracts Human talent in your company is a dynamic entity. In it, you can add new talent, but there is also the possibility of this talent leaving your organization. The legal framework related to employment must prepare companies for this scenario. The new UAE Labour Law 2022 is not an exception to this matter. It states three major topics regarding the termination of contracts: • Notice Periods: The prior law did already establish a minimum notice period of thirty days for the termination of an employment contract. But, the new law now also states a maximum notice period of ninety days. • Termination Grounds: The reason why a contract is terminated is very important. Hence, the new law includes redundancy as a new valid ground for termination. Furthermore, it dictates additional grounds for “for-cause” termination. • Job-search Leave: This is a new entitlement that was not included in the 1980s law. It allows your employees to have one day of unpaid leave per week during their search for a new employer. In conclusion, the new UAE labour law 2022 makes contracts termination a more legally clear process. However, the process can still be difficult for you. In this case, seek for our Labor Lawyers to help you and your company. 1.9. Workplace Policies The evolution of society brought into considerations matters that were not properly addressed before. Furthermore, the workplace is a site where these matters come into play every day. The UAE authorities have not been blind to this. To address them, they have made modifications to the legal framework used in all areas, including employment. As our expert Lawyers in UAE Labour Law will explain to you, the new law contains provisions regarding Workplace Policies that you must cover in employment agreements and contracts. Some of the stated provisions in the new UAE Labour Law regarding workplace policies that you must fulfill in your company are the following: • Equal Pay and Discrimination: Your employees are now legally protected against discrimination in the workplace. Furthermore, it also reinforces the providence that men and women of your company should be paid equally. • Employment Records Retention: This is another new addition to the UAE Labour Law. It states that you must keep all employment records for at least two years after the employment termination. To sum up, the implementation of guidelines that ensure the application of these provisions is paramount. Hence, our team of Labour Lawyers in Dubai can give you legal advice through the entire process, and beyond. 2. Frequent Inquiries about UAE Labour Law We hope that you have found this reading about UAE Labour Law to be an eye-opener. But, we know that you may have additional questions regarding this topic. After all, this piece of legislation will protect you and your employees from any legal issues regarding employment. Therefore, you must end with virtually no doubts about it. Let us now show you the answers to some frequent inquiries our clients have had while working with us: 2.1. Which are the penalties my company faces for failing to fulfill UAE Labour Law requirements in the UAE? UAE Labour Law deals with the legal rights of you and your employees. If your company fails to fulfill its requirements, you will face financial penalties or even your company’s forced closure. 2.2. Are the services of Labour Lawyers necessary for my company? Absolutely yes, they are necessary for your company. Mistakes in employment contracts or badly written agreements can give you substantial problems later on in the road. Therefore, the good services of expert lawyers in UAE Labour Law are paramount to your organization. Luckily for you, that is what we can provide you. 2.3. Why should I pick Connect Legal? You will get with us effective legal aid backed up with our more than 20 years of experience in the field. In essence, with Connect Legal you will find all your legal needs covered. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us today, and see what we can do for your business.
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