The UAE Employment law is a federal law that governs the employment rights of employees in the country’s private sector. This is a law that all employees working in the United Arab Emirates have to know and follow. This is regardless of whether they are citizens of the UAE or foreigners. The purpose of this law is to protect the rights of employers and employees. Especially concerning the employment relationship. In addition, the UAE Employment law is responsible for ensuring a fair and equitable work environment.
In this article, we will analyze the key regulations and laws governing employment in the private sector of the UAE. Understanding the UAE employment law is essential for employees and employers who want to operate within the legal framework. The idea is to examine the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers. In addition, studying the contractual conditions, benefits, and regulations regarding the health and safety of employees. Finally, we will explore the latest legislative updates and policies.
Private Sector Employment Contracts and Agreements
In the UAE private sector, employment contracts are legal documents. These set out all the binding terms between the employer and his employee. In this way, you will see the responsibilities, rights, and obligations of both parties. In addition, you find private sector holidays in UAE, which are eligible after completing one year of service in the company.
Employment contracts can be part-time or full-time. Additionally, they may include any temporary, remote, flexible, or shared work arrangements. For this reason, this section will detail the different aspects of these contracts and employment agreements in the private sector.
The duration of contracts, trial periods, contract duration, restrictions, and other key aspects will be analyzed. In addition, we will talk about the influence of the UAE Labor Laws for Private Sector and why it is essential to know about them.
Types of Private Sector Employment Contracts
According to the UAE Employment Law Number 8 of 1980, there are 2 types of employment contracts in the private sector. These are the contracts of limited duration or fixed duration and the contracts of unlimited duration. However, it should be noted that until 2018 the part-time employment contract existed. These types of contracts for the UAE private sector will be explained below:
Contract of limited or fixed duration: In this type of contract a specific period is mentioned that is specific. This includes a start date and an end date for the contract. Generally, these contracts have a duration of 2 or 3 years and have the option to renew them according to the employer’s needs. The termination notice must be present in the contract, this according to the UAE employment law.
Unlimited duration contract: For this type of contract the duration is indefinite. In this way, both the employer and the employee can terminate the contract. However, in order to do that they must give 1 to 3 months’ notice and follow all appropriate procedures. If this is not done, the affected party may initiate legal action against the offending party.
Part-time contract: In this contract, companies were allowed to hire qualified employees who were based abroad or in the UAE. Additionally, employees with these types of contracts could accept various part-time jobs without approval from their original or secondary employer. However, they had to have a permit from the MoHRE and as mentioned they were last implemented in 2018.
Private Sector Workplace Health and Safety Regulations
In the United Arab Emirates, the MoHRE and other competent authorities in the country, are responsible for issuing controls and procedures that are related to occupational health and safety.
According to article 13 of Federal Decree Law number 33 of 2021 regarding the regulation of labor relations in the private sector:
- The employer must provide its employee with a work environment that is appropriate and safe. Furthermore, both the employer and the employee have to comply with all UAE employment law steps that are issued by the MoHRE and other authorities.
This includes everything related to the prevention of injuries and occupational risks. In addition, regarding the use of personal protective equipment and all compliance with safety instructions to avoid accidents. This section will talk in more detail about everything related to health and safety in the private sector.
Occupational Health and Safety Act Compliance in the Private Sector
Industrial and construction employees cannot work during the hottest hours of the day during the summer. In addition, they must have all the safety equipment and the most appropriate clothing to avoid injuries and dangers. They will undergo a medical examination to detect any type of disease they may have contracted.
The employer has the following obligations:
- Provide all methods necessary to protect your employees from risk, injury, and illness.
- Have instructional boards.
- Provide employees with the corresponding training to avoid any risk.
- Carry out periodic evaluations to ensure that the parts of the contract and occupational health and safety requirements are met.
The employee has the following obligations:
- You must wear all protective clothing and equipment provided to you.
- Comply with the instructions given to you by your employer to avoid any risk.
- Avoid performing an action contrary to the instructions given.
- Comply with orders and instructions that are related to health and safety at work.
- You must commit to protecting everything in your possession
In the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, all employees in both the public and private sectors are required to have health insurance. Furthermore, it does not matter whether it is a citizen or a resident. Furthermore, the Sharjah government offers health insurance to its retirees and employees. The Ajman government also offers health insurance to its employees.
Due to the importance of health, UAE employee benefits cover medical care. Additionally, the employer must assign a doctor to thoroughly examine employees at least once every 6 months. They are treating employees who are at risk of contracting a disease.
Key Workplace Safety Requirements for Private Companies
Among the benefits of employees in the UAE, job security is one of the most important. In this sense, you can define safety as the process to prevent or mitigate any type of injury to a person.
However, it is not so easy to implement adequate security systems. For this reason, it is important to know the most essential requirements when establishing a security system for your company. Furthermore, you find that employment laws and regulations in the private sector exist to ensure that the parties involved follow the established systems.
A competent health and safety consultant understands that safety is essential. In this way, success can be achieved in the company’s health and safety management system. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the productivity of a company is directly related to a safe workplace.
Thus, this section will explain all of these key processes to maintain a safe workplace. Plus, if you can implement these practices, you can keep yourself and your employees safe.
Safety Policies and Procedures
The official government portal provides information about health and safety in the workplace. In addition, there is access to injury prevention, occupational risks, accident notification, and employee protection measures. For this reason, it is important that you know the following guidelines:
- Construction and industrial employees should not work during the hottest hours of the day in summer.
- Employees must wear appropriate protective clothing and equipment to protect themselves from injury and hazards.
- They must undergo a medical examination to detect any disease they may have contracted.
- The employer must provide a work environment that is safe and appropriate for its employees. In addition, you must comply with all controls and procedures issued by the MoHRE and other authorities in the country regarding health and safety.
In the National Occupational Health and Safety Management System of the UAE, a standardized framework is established to manage occupational health and safety risks. All of this is in the private sector, based on the principles of governance, planning, culture, implementation, evaluation, and improvement.
For this part, there are the following guidelines:
- The employer must establish an OHS policy that reflects its commitment to the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses. In addition, compliance with applicable legislation, stakeholder participation, and continuous improvement of OHS performance.
- Employers should set measurable OHS objectives. In this way, they must be consistent with the OHS policy, taking into account legal and other requirements. Furthermore, they must be based on risk analysis and reviewed periodically.
Employee Training and Education
Training an employee helps them develop and learn a skill. In this way, they can improve their work performance and avoid any type of accident in the workplace. Additionally, there are different types of training for employees. For this reason, using the right method can result in a more successful learning process.
Generally, companies have their training process. However, there are many parts of the processes that are common in almost all companies in the sector. Furthermore, these processes must be as effective as possible to avoid any problems in the workplace. Below are the most important processes that companies must follow when training their employees.
Instructor Training: This is the traditional type of employee training that occurs in a classroom with a teacher presenting the material. This way, students have real-time access to the instructor so they can receive feedback and conduct discussions. In addition, it is easier to understand all the necessary practices to avoid any risk.
Training through simulation: This is an effective way to transfer information to learners. In this way, employers can evaluate their employees by putting their skills and decision-making into practice. Additionally, this training can be applied in many different fields. Among these, you find the medical field, which allows you to save lives, factory workers, etc.
Safety Equipment and Maintenance
Employees and employers must take all necessary measures to protect themselves from any danger. In addition, employees must have access to a safe work environment. For this reason, safety equipment and personal protective equipment play an important role in accident prevention. Also, they serve to prevent any injury or illness in the workplace.
Safety equipment is an essential tool that forms a barrier between the employee and potential dangers. In this way, the design of these is to protect employees from the different dangers that may arise. These include physical, chemical, biological, and environmental hazards. For this reason, using this equipment is essential to ensure the well-being of employees.
This equipment significantly reduces the risk of accidents and injuries in the workplace. Workplace accidents can have serious consequences. However, these are not only for the employees involved, but also for the employers and the overall productivity of the company. In this way, using this equipment can minimize the severity of the injury in the event of an accident.
Another fundamental aspect that must be taken into account is the maintenance of this protective equipment. All protective equipment suffers wear and tear due to continuous use. For this reason, it is important to periodically perform maintenance on the equipment to avoid any problems. This ensures that employees do not suffer a more serious injury due to any problem with safety equipment.
Payroll – WPS