Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationships and its amendments

End-of-service gratuity

How gratuity is calculated under Article 51: 21 days per year for the first five years, 30 days after, capped at two years of basic pay — plus who qualifies and when.

Notice period

Article 43 notice rules: the 30-to-90-day range, payment in lieu, garden leave, and how notice differs for resignation vs employer-led termination.

Probation period

The six-month cap under Article 9, the 14-day notice from an employer, and the different rules when a worker resigns to change employers vs leave the UAE.

Wage Protection System (WPS)

How WPS enforces salary payment via approved banks and exchange houses, the deadlines that trigger penalties, and what employees can do if a salary is late.

ADGM · DIFC · Mainland

The three parallel employment-law regimes in the UAE, when each applies, and the practical differences for probation, gratuity, notice, and dispute resolution.

Termination compensation

The five buckets of money owed when employment ends — gratuity, notice/pay-in-lieu, accrued leave, arbitrary-dismissal compensation, and unpaid wages — with the exact articles.

Annual leave carry-over

The 30-day annual leave rule under Article 29, when unused days can be carried forward, when they must be cashed out, and what happens on termination.

Maternity leave

60 days of maternity leave (45 full pay + 15 half pay) under Article 30, the optional 45 extra unpaid days, nursing hours, and protection from termination.

Sick leave

The 90-day sick-leave entitlement under Article 31 — 15 days full pay, 30 days half pay, 45 days unpaid — the medical-certificate rule, and termination protection.

Overtime pay

Article 19 overtime rates — 125% for normal overtime, 150% for night hours (22:00–04:00) and rest days — the 2-hour daily cap, and which roles are exempt.

Working hours & Ramadan

Standard 8-hour day and 48-hour week under Article 17, the 2-hour Ramadan reduction, meal and prayer breaks, and how remote/hybrid work changes the accounting.

Passport withholding

Passport retention is prohibited under UAE law — a personal-property + human-trafficking issue, not a labor-law one. What legitimate visa processing looks like and how to escalate if your passport is withheld.

Employment contract requirements

The 10+ mandatory contract elements under Article 8 — parties, place, term, wage, hours, probation, notice, EOSB — plus the MOHRE filing rule and language authority.