Working during UAE National Day holidays? How compensatory leave system works
As UAE National Day fast approaches, the private sector employees are tracking down to a long four-day weekend - but for those who have to work during the holidays UAE law is clear when it comes to how they will be compensated.
As per the UAE Labour Law, if an employee is required to work on public holidays, the employer will have to offer a replacement rest day or compensate the holiday for regular working hours along with at least a 50 per cent premium of the basic wage.
What the law says
Article 28 of the UAE Labour Law Official Holidays and Requiring Worker to Work Therein This article states about the entitlements of employees while working during holidays:
Staff are entitled to full, paid leave on public holidays announced by the Cabinet.
If work requirements obligate them to work in these holidays, they shall be paid with another day of rest or receive their normal rate and an additional 50% for the regular holiday rendered.
In UAE private-sector employers also have to provide at least one paid day’s leave per week, as prescribed by the employment contract or company rules. These are on top of public holidays.
Why this matters now
When the 3-day break for the holidays on December 1 and 2 (Monday and Tuesday) is combined with this weekend, most workers can expect a four-day break. If you work on National Day, the law ensures either one compensatory rest day or overtime pay for working on a public holiday.
What workers should know and expect
You don’t lose your rights if you’re working on National Day, or any other public holiday. You are legally due compensation.
Compensation is defined as an alternative day off or full daily pay (excluding all allowances) plus a 50 per cent mark-up on your basic salary making it one-and-a-half times.
The law makes no distinction between senior staff and lower-graded or contract workers — employees at all levels of the private sector have protections.
Realities in practice
Ghina El Naber, a HR consultant said many employees to date do not know that it is their right to take off a substitute day when they work on an official holiday or in case the employee agrees he can get paid half for each hour of additional working hours.
“The law is clear. No one should live the life they lived and worked this way on a public holiday. Some workers, particularly in retail and hospitality, take it as a fact of life. They do not ask questions. But they are entitled to be paid, and should check their pay slips. If it is not reflected, they can elevate that through proper authority,” she said.
What you should you do if an employer does not comply
Employees who believe that they have not been paid what is due to them can file a complaint at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). Tribunals adjudicating labour disputes are competent to hear such cases; ( jurisprudence tends towards the interpretation of article 28 in a strict manner.
Takeaway for employees
If you work this National Day, or any other public holiday, check your pay slip. You’ll either get an additional rest day, or confirmation of holiday pay that is at least 1.5 times your regular wage. In case of absence of both, you are entitled to file a complaint to MoHRE.
A decree issued by the Cabinet entered into effect on January 1, 2025 allows the public holidays in the UAE (the United Arab Emirates) to be moved between Monday and Thursday (which can be rearranged using a weekend of Friday–Saturday) and Friday as part of the weekend. The announcement effectively brought forward the declared paid holiday for Eid Al Etihad -- previously December 2 and December 3, it is now December 1 and December 2.
Comments