Question: Every time a public holiday comes around, my boss simply assumes that I will work. There is no official communication requesting me to work on that day. Is this how it is supposed to be handled? Could you please outline the procedure that needs to be followed, including how such work should be documented and how and when I can take compensatory time off?

Answer: Pursuant to your queries, it is assumed that you are employed by a mainland company in the emirate of Dubai. Therefore, the provisions of UAE employment law are applicable.

In the UAE, an employee is entitled to official leave on the public holidays as per the notification issued by the relevant local authority or the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization. This is in accordance with Article 28(1) of the Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relations (the ‘Employment Law’), which states, “The employee shall be entitled to official leave with full pay in public holidays determined by decision of the Cabinet.”

Further, if an employee works during the public holidays, he or she is eligible to compensatory leave or salary for normal working days plus additional salary of at least 50% (fifty percent) of the basic salary for the days you worked during public holidays. This is in accordance with Article 28(2) of the Employment Law, which states, “Should the work circumstances require that the employee be employed on holidays, the employee shall be compensated with a...

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