The Ministry issues a model form of labour contract in Arabic which is widely used, but other forms of contract are enforceable, provided they comply with the Labour Law. End of contract gratuities are equivalent to 21 days pay for every year of the first five years of service and 30 days for every year thereafter. The total gratuity should not exceed two years' wages. Employees are entitled to pro-rated amounts for service periods less than a full year, provided they have completed one year in continuous service.

Trade unions do not exist. In the case of a dispute between employer and employee, or in interpretation of the Labour Law, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will initially act as an adjudicator. If a party wishes to appeal any such decision, it can take its case to court. Strikes and lockouts are forbidden.

Similarly, daily working hours may be reduced for difficult or dangerous jobs. Many businesses work on a two-shift system (for example, 8 am - 1 pm and 4 pm - 7 pm). As in all Muslim countries, Friday is the weekly day of rest.
In practice, commercial and professional firms work 40-48 hours a week and government ministries about 35. The weekend for office workers had traditionally been Thursday afternoon and Friday, but most organisations and he government have now changed to a five-day week with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, normal working hours are reduced to six hours per day.
There are 10 days of public holidays (paid) in any year. The employee's annual leave is two days for every month if his service is more than six months and less than a year. In every completed year of service after the first, an employee is entitled to 30 days annual paid leave. This is in addition to public holidays, maternity leave for women and sick leave.


Overtime is used and additional pay is required for manual and lower ranking staff.
For more information, visit: http://www.dnrd.gov.ae and http://www.mol.gov.ae