A new Labour Law and Executive Regulations in the UAE have introduced wide-ranging changes to employment law, including on part-time and flexible work, contract and termination arrangements, sexual harassment and bullying.
The UAE Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation ('MOHRE') has announced an overhaul to the labour laws. The new UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021) (the 'New Law'), which came into effect on 2 February 2022 ('Effective Date'), seeks to address changes in the work environment, align UAE labour relations with international best practices, and recognise the need for atypical and/or flexible working structures.
The New Law has replaced Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, as amended (the 'Original Law') in its entirety. It is the most significant amendment to UAE labour legislation since the Original Law's enactment.
The New Law makes a number of references to the 'Executive Regulations' whose purpose is to supplement, clarify and expand upon various provisions of the New Law. Although the New Law was published in November 2021, the Executive Regulations (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022) were not published at the same time, and they were only recently released on 3 February 2022.
(Unless defined in this summary, the capitalised terms below have the meanings given to them under the Original Law.)
Original Law
Part-time and flexible working arrangements were not expressly addressed in the Original Law, however...
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