Category: Labor Employment

في خطوة تعكس نظرة دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة بتطوير بيئة العمل وتحقيق التوازن بين حقوق العمال وأصحاب العمل،

صدر في 13 سبتمبر 2023 مرسوم بقانون اتحادي رقم (20) لسنة 2023 بتعديل المادة رقم 54 فقط من أحكام المرسوم بقانون اتحادي رقم (33) لسنة 2021 بشأن تنظيم علاقات العمل في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. يهدف هذا التعديل إلى تعزيز الإطار القانوني لعلاقات العمل وضمان حقوق العمال وأصحاب العمل على حد سواء.

النقاط الرئيسية للتعديلات 

تتضمن التعديلات الجديدة عدة نقاط رئيسية، منها:

1.  إجراءات تسوية المنازعات العمالية 

      – إلزام أصحاب العمل أو العمال أو أي مستحق بتقديم طلبات الحقوق إلى وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين، والتي تقوم بدورها باتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لتسوية النزاع وديًا.

      – تتيح الوزارة الفصل في المنازعات بقرارات نهائية في الحالتين التلايتين:

الحالة الاولى: إذا  كانت قيمة المطالبة لا تتجاوز 50,000 درهم.

الحالة الثانية : إذا تم التوصل الى تسوية ولم يلتزم احد الاطراف بتلك التسوية (بغض النظر عن قيمة المطالبة)

      – قرار الوزارة بالفصل في المنازعات يكون نهائيًا وملزمًا ويمكن تنفيذه مباشرةً.

2.  إجراءات الاستئناف 

   – يُسمح لأي طرف غير راضٍ عن قرار الوزارة بالتقدم بدعوى أمام محكمة الاستئناف خلال 15 يوم عمل من تاريخ إخطار القرار.ويترتب على على هذا الاستئناف ايقاف ملف التنفيذ (إن كان قد تم فتحه)

3.  حقوق العمال أثناء النزاع 

   – يجوز للوزارة إلزام صاحب العمل باستمرار دفع أجر العامل لمدة لا تزيد عن شهرين في حال توقف صرف الأجر بسبب النزاع.

4.  إجراءات المحكمة 

   – تلتزم المحكمة بتحديد جلسة للنظر في الدعوى خلال 3 أيام عمل والفصل فيها خلال 15 يوم عمل من تاريخ إقامة الدعوى.

5.  تقادم الحقوق 

   – لا تُسمع الدعوى عن أي حق من حقوق العمال بعد مرور سنة من تاريخ استحقاق الحق محل المطالبة.

تحليل قانوني 

يُعتبر هذا التعديل خطوة مهمة نحو تعزيز حماية حقوق العمال في دولة الإمارات، حيث يوفر نظامًا أكثر فعالية لتسوية المنازعات العمالية بطريقة سريعة وعادلة. كما يُعزز من دور وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين في حل النزاعات العمالية ويُقلل من الضغط على المحاكم.

التأثيرات المحتملة 

– العمـــــــال:  يستفيد العمال من نظام تسوية منازعات أسرع وأكثر فعالية، ما يعزز من حقوقهم ويحميهم من الاستغلال.

– أصحاب العمل: سيوفر النظام الجديد آلية أكثر وضوحًا لتسوية النزاعات، مما يساعد في تجنب النزاعات الطويلة والمكلفة.

في الختام 

تُعتبر التعديلات الجديدة على قانون تنظيم علاقات العمل في الإمارات خطوة إيجابية نحو تحسين بيئة العمل في الدولة وضمان حقوق جميع الأطراف. من المتوقع أن تُساهم هذه التعديلات في تعزيز استقرار سوق العمل وجذب المزيد من الاستثمارات إلى الدولة.

لمزيد من المعلومات والاستشارات القانونية يرجى التواصل بمكتب الصَفَر ومُشارِكوه على الرقم والايميل التالي:+971.4.4221944  reception@alsafarpartners.com  – www.alsafarpartners.com

Written By:

Mr. Obada Al Khatib – Senior Legal Consultant & Head of Employment law Department at Al Safar and Partners Law Firm .

To work in the UAE, one must undergo a probation period, exclusively at the beginning of employment.

In this article, we will explain the points related to the probation period, which every individual wishing to work in the UAE must be aware of.  

Probation Period:

The probation period allows the employer to ensure that the employee possesses the required skills to continue working, and it also allows the employee to assess the suitability of the work environment and type of work for him / her. Thus, the probation period is mutually beneficial for both parties of the employment contract.

The determination of the probation period is subject to the employer’s preference, with a maximum limit of 6 months. According to the intended purpose of the probation period, the employee cannot be subjected to it more than once by the same employer, regardless of the duration of employment or the number of times the employment contract is renewed.

The New Regulations for the Probation Period According to Federal Decree No. 33 of 2021:

1. Duration of Probation Period: Maximum 6 months. An agreement can be reached, for example, for 3 months, and then the probation period can be extended with the consent of both parties to the employment contract, provided that the total does not exceed 6 months. If the employment relationship continues between the parties and the contract is renewed, the employee cannot be subjected to a new probation period.
2. If the employer terminates the employment relationship during the probation period, the employee must be given a notice period of at least 14 days. If the employee terminates the employment relationship during the probation period, he / she must commit to working for a notice period of at least one month.
3. If the employee wishes to terminate the services in order to move to work for another employer and is still within the probation period, the new employer is obliged to pay the old employer the costs of recruitment and contracting with the employee, which were paid by the old employer.
4. If the employee terminates the employment relationship with the intention of leaving the country during the probation period, they must give the employer a notice of at least 14 days. If the employee returns to the country to join a new employer before 3 months have passed since leaving, the new employer must comply with stipulated in the third item.
5. The notice period is considered part of the employment contract, so there is a salary to be paid. If either party fails to comply with the notice period (during or outside the probation period), they must compensate the other party with a salary equivalent to the remaining notice period. Note that the employer no longer has the right to terminate the employee’s services during the probation period without allowing them to work during the notice period.
6. If the employee leaves the country without complying with the notice period of at least 14 days and, in order to ensure the smooth running of work, the law punishes the employee by not granting them a work permit for a period of one year from the date of leaving the country.

The decree of Federal Law No. 33 of 2021 has introduced several amendments to the probation period to make it more suitable for both parties of the employment relationship and more suitable for the UAE labor market in terms of protecting and guaranteeing the rights of both parties, as well as imposing new obligations to protect those rights.

For further information or legal assistance please do not hesitate to contact us on the following number or email address: +97144221944 or reception@alsafarpartners.com – www.alsafarpartners.com. 

Written By:

Mr. Obada Al Khatib – Senior Legal Consultant & Head of Employment at Al Safar and Partners Law Firm

The United Arab Emirates became an attractive destination for many foreigners  to establish their companies due to the incentives provided to the investors.

This has led to an increase in the number of employees and job opportunities and thus competition in the labor market. 

In this article, we will set out the conditions and obligations for the application of the non-compete clause in light of the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 which protects employees from arbitrariness of the employer on one hand and protects the employer from disclosure of its business secrets and unlawful competition on the other hand. 

Legislation and articles related to the non-compete clause. 

The UAE legislator mentioned and regulated the non-compete clause in the labor law and its executive regulations in several articles as follows:

Article 10 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021:

1. If the work assigned to the employee allows him/her to gain knowledge of the employer’s clients or have access to its work secrets, the employer may require that the worker under the employment contract shall not, after the expiry of the contract, compete with the employer or be engaged in any competing project in the same sector, provided that the requirement is specified, in terms of time, place and type of work, to the extent necessary to protect the legitimate business interests. The non-compete period shall not be more than two years from the expiry date of the contract.

2. This requirement shall be nullified if the employer terminates the employment contract in violation of the provisions hereof.

3. The claim filed by the employer for the worker’s violation of the provisions of this Article shall not be heard if one year has passed from the date of discovering the violation.

4. The Implementing Regulation hereof defines the provisions regulating this Article, skill levels, or occupations that may be excluded from the provision of Clause (1) of the current Article, following the conditions and rules specified by the Regulation.

Article 12 of the Executive Regulations of Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021:

1- Subject to the provisions of Article (10) of the Decree-Law, the following shall be observed in the application of the non-compete clause stipulated therein:

a. The geographical scope of application of the clause.

b. The term of the clause provided that it does not exceed two years from the contract expiry date.

c. The nature of the work, such that it causes significant harm to the legitimate interests of the employer.

 2- If a dispute arises over the non-competition clause and it is not settled amicably, the matter shall be referred to the judiciary, and the burden of proving the alleged damage shall fall on the employer. 

3- The non-compete clause shall not apply if the reason for terminating the contract is attributed to the employer or the breach of its legal or contractual obligations.

4. It may be agreed in writing not to apply the non-competition clause after the termination of the employment contract.

5. The worker shall be exempted from the non-compete clause stipulated in Article (10) of the Decree-Law under the following conditions:

a. If the employee or the new employer pays to the previous employer, compensation not exceeding three months of the worker’s wage as agreed upon in the last contract, subject to the previous employer’s written consent thereto.

b. If the contract is terminated during the probationary period.

c. Any professional categories that are in demand in the national labor market and determined by the resolution of the Minister by the workers’ classification approved by the Cabinet.

Scope of application of the non-compete clause.

It should be noted that to apply the non-compete clause there should be an ongoing employment relationship, which application is also limited to the employees that have access to the employer’s clients’ information, and business secrets and intend to work in the same activity after the end of the current employment relationship. Therefore, there is a misconception that the non-compete clause applies to all employees. 

The legislator also explained that the use of this clause is applicable only if the employee’s labor relationship is terminated (either by resignation or by the employee’s failure to comply with the terms of the employment contract, which will result in the termination of the labor relationship).

The important point addressed by the legislator is that a possible labor case for violating the non-competition clause can be registered from the date of the employer’s discovery of the breach and not from the date of termination of the labor relationship.

Conditions for validity of non-compete clause

First condition: Geographical location: must be restricted to a maximum of 3 emirates within the country.

Second condition: Time Period: The maximum is two years from the termination of the employment contract. A lesser duration can be agreed.

Third condition: The employee shall work with a competing employer and would cause serious harm to the previous employer; such damage shall only be assessed by the courts.

Exceptions to the non-compete clause.

Since the non-compete, clause was intended to protect the employer in the first place, the legislator allowed certain exceptions to the application of this clause, as follows:

Case I: Agreement to suspend the employment contract provided that both parties shall not compete together, and such agreement must be written.

Case 2: that the employee or new employer pay compensation to the old employer up to a maximum of 3 months’ salary, in such case the old employer’s consent is required.

Case 3: If the labor relationship ends during the probation period, it should be mentioned that it does not matter who is the party who terminated the labor relationship.

Case 4: Special cases to be assessed by the Minister according to labor market needs.

Consequences of breaching the non-compete clause.

In case the employee breaches the non-compete clause, the legislator states that the employer has the right to resort to the courts to claim adequate compensation for the damage suffered.

However, the employer must prove:

• Date of knowledge of the worker’s breach of the non-competitive clause
• Significant harm caused by an employee’s breach of the non-competitive clause.

Conclusion

The working environment in the UAE is constantly evolving and faces many challenges as a result of increased investments. It is therefore necessary to maintain stability in the labor market by protecting the rights of the parties to the labor relationship, the non-compete clause being one of the legislators’ tools for maintaining such stability.

For further information or legal assistance please do not hesitate to contact us on the following number or email address: +97144221944 or reception@alsafarpartners.com – www.alsafarpartners.com.

Written By:

Mr. Obada Al Khatib – Senior Legal Consultant & Head of Employment at Al Safar and Partners Law Firm

في ظل التغيرات الاقتصادية المتسارعة التي تشهدها دولة الإمارات والتحديات الوظيفية المستمرة، جاء المرسوم بقانون رقم 13 لسنة 2022 بشأن التأمين ضد التعطل عن العمل في الإمارات ليوفر مظلة حماية للعاملين، معززًا بذلك الاستقرار الوظيفي والاجتماعي لجميع الفئات.

نظام التأمين ضد التعطل عن العمل:

هو نظام يهدف الى تعويض المؤمن عليه بمبلغ نقدي لمدة محدودة في حالة تعطله عن العمل. مما يساعد على تجاوز الصعوبات المالية التي قد تواجهه.

نطاق التطبيق

يغطي المرسوم العاملين في القطاعين الخاص والحكومي الاتحادي، مستثنيًا فئات محددة وهي:

1- المستثمرين أصحاب المنشآت،

2- العمالة المساعدة،

3- العاملين بعقود مؤقتة،

4- الأحداث دون 18 عامًا، 

5-المتقاعدين العاملين الذين يحصلون على معاش تقاعدي.

آلية العمل والتعويض

أنشأ المرسوم نظام جديد للتأمين ضد التعطل عن العمل، والذي يدعم المؤمن عليه بمبلغ نقدي لفترة محددة بثلاثة أشهر كحد أقصى في حال تعطل المؤمن عليه عن العمل وفق الشروط التالية:

1- ألا تقل مدة اشتراك المؤمن عليه في النظام عن 12 شهرًا متصلة.

2- ألا يكون فصل المؤمن عليه من العمل عائد لأسباب تأديبية 

3- ألا تكون المطالبة بالتعويض عن طريق  الغش أو الاحتيال.

4- يوقف صرف التعويض في حال التحاق المؤمن عليه بعمل آخر

قيمة التعويض

يحسب التعويض بنسبة 60% من راتب الاشتراك. ولا يجوز أن يتجاوز هذا التعويض مبلغ 20,000 درهم للشهر الواحد.

يتم صرف التعويض لمدة 3 أشهر كحد أقصى لكل مطالبة، ولا يستمر صرف هذا التعويض بعد الشهر الثالث بغض النظر عما إذا التحق المؤمن عليه بعمل جديد أم لا.

لا يجوز أن تزيد مدة التغطية عن 12 شهر خلال كامل مدة خدمة المؤمن عليه داخل الدولة، ما يعني ان العامل يستفيد بحد أقصى من   12 شهر من التعويض بغض النظر عن عدد مرات تعطله عن العمل.

يمكن للمؤمن عليه الاتفاق على مزايا إضافية مع مزود الخدمة، والمقصود بمزود الخدمة هي شركات التأمين المعتمدة من قبل المصرف المركزي.

وبهذا يكون المشرع قد حمى العامل المؤمن عليه ضد أخطار التعطل عن العمل المفاجئ، ولأي أسئلة واستفسارات في هذا النطاق يمكنكم التواصل معنا مكتب الصَفَر ومشاركوه للمحاماة عبر المعلومات التالية +97144221944 – reception@alsafarpartners.com – www.alsafarpartners.com.

Written By:

Mr. Obada Al Khatib – Senior Legal Consultant & Head of Employment at Al Safar and Partners Law Firm .