Sick Leave to the workers infected by COVID-19
Sick leave is a leave taken from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health and safety needs without losing pay. Paid sick leave is a statutory requirement in numerous countries. In UAE, an employee is entitled to a sick leave of not more than 90 days per year, only after a period of three months’ continuous service following the probation period.
The 90 days sick leave can be continuous or intermittent, and the salary is paid as follows:
- Full pay for the first 15 days
- Half pay for the next 30 days
- No pay for the rest 45 days
What happens to the employees infected by COVID-19 in regards to Sick Leave?
Managing infected employees is one of the major concerns among employers. As per the recent update from The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), employees infected with COVID-19 in private establishments to be treated as pathology cases, under which employees should be granted sick leaves based on the Federal law no. 8 for 1980.
The MOHRE, regularly highlights the importance of social and legal responsibilities towards the employees infected by COVID-19, especially as UAE provides full and free health care to infected citizens and residents alike.
In addition, private sector establishment has been recommended to be committed to documenting the leaves of their employees accurately and amendments to the employment contracts including reduction of the employee’s wages, whether temporarily or permanently, by mutual consent would guarantee the rights of both parties, and paying their wages through the wages protection system (WPS) on time.
Can an employee get terminated if infected by COVID-19?
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) warned companies not to terminate the service of any employees infected by COVID-19.
According to MOHRE, it will be dealt in accordance with observed procedures. In case, the compliant cannot be solved amicably by both the parties, it will then be referred to the courts of law which will further determine whether or not the service termination falls under arbitrary dismissal.
How can we help
Rethink as an outsourced Partner using the best practices, can assist in the set-up of a BCP plan for your organization. We are certain that the crisis will affect most businesses within the UAE and we are convinced that firms need to consider some immediate actions to make it through the next few weeks and months, which we will be able to assist you with as below,
- Cash flow forecasting and payment prioritization
- Employee structuring and salary strategy management
- HR & Communication support
- Strategic business opportunities
Who we are
Re/think is a boutique accounting, audit, HR advisory, regulatory compliance, and tax advisory firm with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi (ADGM) and Bahrain focused on providing businesses of varying sizes with timely, proactive, and customized business solutions from start-up and early development to the latest stages of a business lifecycle.
For further information and assistance with HR Services in UAE and Bahrain, please contact ask@rethink-hq.com or call us at +971 4 294 9203.