With the Eid Al-Adha celebrations, UAE employees enjoy three days off, from June 16 to 18, 2024.
But have you been informed of your rights and the compensation you may receive during public holidays?
As per the UAE law, employees in the private sector are entitled to paid leave during a public holiday.
However, suppose your work conditions require you to go to work during the holidays. In that case, your employer can either give you another day off to compensate for that specific holiday or pay your wage for the day, with an additional payment of not less than 50% of your basic salary.
Here’s what Article 28 of the Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 has exactly stated:
1. The worker shall be entitled to official days off with full pay on public holidays, which are defined by a resolution of the Cabinet.
2. If work conditions require that the worker works during any of the public holidays, the employer shall compensate him with another day off for each day, on which he works during the holiday, or pay him the wage for that day according to the wage established for the normal working days, plus an increase of not less than (50%) fifty percent of the basic wage for that day.
After the Eid Al-Adha holidays, the following are the remaining public holidays in the UAE for 2024:
Sunday, July 7: Islamic New Year
Sunday, September 15: Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday
Monday, December 2: National Day
Tuesday, December 3: National Day holiday
Take note that the mentioned dates are only predicted dates as some UAE public holidays are guided by specific moon sightings.
