UAE private-sector employees working on official public holidays are entitled to either a compensatory day off or payment plus 50% premium under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
Private-sector public holiday entitlements are governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relationships (as amended) and its implementing instruments. This insight addresses private-sector entitlements under the UAE Labour Law. Public-sector and certain special categories may be subject to different rules or frameworks.
As a general rule, employees are entitled to official public holidays with full pay. However, where work conditions require attendance on a public holiday, the employer must provide either:
The holiday premium is tied to basic wage, not total package. As a result, disputes often arise where employers attempt to apply the premium to allowances, or alternatively to avoid the premium by offering vague “time off later” arrangements. The law requires a clear compensatory day off or a clearly calculated pay entitlement. This is a statutory minimum and internal company policy or informal assurances do not displace it.
If you are asked to work on a public holiday, the safest approach is to obtain written confirmation beforehand (email or WhatsApp is usually...
US President Donald Trump resurrected long-debunked claims about fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, alleging in a July 16, 2026 primetime address that China stole millions of vote...