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UAE 2021 Labour Law provisions

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-02 07:03 UTC → 2026-08-22 03:34 UTC · added removed

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Decree‑Law No. 33 of 2021, administered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, sets out Emiratisation (MOHRE), establishes a comprehensive framework for private‑sector employment. An initial overview detailed employment, balancing worker protections with employer responsibilities. Regarding termination, the law identifies ten specific grounds on which employers may dismiss workers for dismissal without notice, alongside general rules on work hours, overtime limits, end‑of‑service benefits and salary protection. Subsequent clarification expanded including the law’s employee‑benefit provisions, specifying maternity leave use of forged documents, causing material loss, breaching safety rules, divulging trade secrets, being under the influence of narcotics or alcohol, assaulting staff, or unlawful competition. Article 44 further specifies that summary dismissal is permitted if an employee is absent without a legitimate reason for more than seven consecutive days or more than 20 non-consecutive days within a single year. For employees in a probationary period—which is capped at six months—resignation requires written notice of at least one month if moving to another job within the UAE, or 14 days if leaving the country. While paid through their final working day, these employees are not entitled to end‑of‑service gratuity, which requires one full year of continuous service. The law also outlines standard work terms, such as a 48-hour workweek (40 hours during Ramadan) and limits on overtime. Family-related entitlements include 60 days of maternity leave (45 days full pay, 15 days half pay) and pay), up to 45 additional unpaid days for medical conditions, plus extra paid and 30 days of fully-paid leave for children with disabilities. It also introduced a five‑day Additionally, the law provides five days of parental leave for fathers and nursing break rights, outlining employer obligations to grant leave on presentation of medical certificates and the mechanisms for reporting non‑compliance rights to MOHRE or the Dubai courts. Together, the snapshots illustrate how the 2021 Labour Law combines termination safeguards with expanded family‑leave entitlements, reinforcing worker protections across the UAE private sector. nursing breaks.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-22 03:34 UTC UAE 2021 Labour Law provisions
  2. 2026-08-02 07:03 UTC UAE 2021 Labour Law provisions

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