Dear TFT,
I am employed with a Dubai-based company and was diagnosed with a serious illness that will require months of treatment. What is the maximum number of sick leaves I can take and can one combine them with annual leaves? I must have taken two-three sick leaves during my six years of service and can you tell me whether unused sick leaves get accumulated? If I take a long leave of absence combining both paid and unpaid leaves, can the company fire me?
More power!
JD Adarlo
Reply from Atty. Imran Khan is a Legal Consultant at Bin Eid Advocates:
Article 83 of the UAE labor law provides detail of allowed sick leave. An employee is entitled to paid sick after completing three months, following the probation period.
An employee is entitled to get a maximum of 90 days of sick leave every year of service in this first 15 days with full pay. The next 30 days with half-pay, and any subsequent periods (45 days) without pay.
Sick leave right is applicable after the diagnosis of an illness. Therefore, there is no unused sick leave provision in the law.
You can get the sick leave only whenever you are diagnosed with an illness.
Annual leave time depends upon the employer, therefore it’s up to your employer.
Article 76 of the UAE labor law states “The employer may fix the date of commencement of annual leave and, if necessary, divide such leave into not more than two periods”.
Article 77 of the law, meanwhile, says, “Holidays stipulated by Law or by agreement, and any other days of leave on account of sickness, falling within an annual leave shall be considered as an integral part thereof.”
