The UAE will ring in the New Year with a slew of major reforms in its labour policies and work systems—which are all aiming to reward its nationals and expats alike with the most important gift of all: the gift of time.
Deemed as a “gamechanger” in the Arab World, the UAE’s 4.5 workweek is dubbed as the world’s shortest working week. Although, it’s only meant for all employees in the public sector at present, the government is urging private companies to follow suit.
As per a report of the Emirates News Agency (WAM): “The extended weekend comes as part of the UAE government’s efforts to boost work-life balance and enhance social wellbeing, while increasing performance to advance the UAE’s economic competitiveness.”
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For the meantime, HE Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, told the media: “Each [private] company, depending on the sector they operate in and what suits and serves their business best, can choose the weekend they decide for their employee.”
According to analysts, most—if not all—businesses across the emirates will likely adopt the Western-workweek norm because all schools in the UAE are required to implement it as well, and working parents will be impacted by the shift.
The new workweek on the back of UAE’s major, pioneering labor reforms in the Middle East which were announced in the last quarter of 2021 and coming into force next month.
To recall, the UAE Government had approved last November Federal Decree Law No 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, which repealed and replaced Federal Law No 8 of 1980.
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One of the key provisions in the new law prohibits employers in the private sector to force employees to work over five consecutive hours without at least one-hour break. No more than two hours of overtime are allowed in a day.
More than two hours overtime can only be allowed if the nature of job requires it. The list of industries exempted from this provision has yet to be released. However, employees must receive an overtime pay equivalent to the hourly rate with additional 25 per cent increase.
Those who are working overtime between 10 pm and 4 am should be given overtime pay equivalent to the hourly pay with a 50 percent increase.
