Private workers can transfer annual leave to next year

Mohamed Yasine, Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has asserted that employees of the private sector are entitled to transfer forward 60 days of their annual leave to the next year or when it is possible for that.  

This came in a reply of the Ministry to an enquiry of a private sector employee regarding the possibility of carrying forward his annual leave to the next year because he could not benefit from it due to suspension of travel in most of the world as result of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The Ministry said that in accordance with the Article No.75 of the Labour Law, workers of the private sector shall be entitled during every year of service to an annual leave of no less than two days for each month, provided that the period of service is not less than six months and a year at most. It also states that workers are entitled to 30 days for each year if the period of service exceeds one year.

If the worker’s service is terminated, he/she shall be entitled to an annual leave for the fractions of the last year, according to Article No.75.

Employers may determine the date of the commencement of the annual leave, and may divide it if necessary into two or more periods.

The division provision shall not apply to the leave of youths.

According to Article 78, workers shall receive a basic wage and a housing allowance, if any, for the days of the annual leave. Should the work circumstances require that a worker work during his total annual leave or a part thereof, and should the leave during which the worker worked is not carried forward to the next year, the employer must pay the worker the wages thereof, in addition to a leave allowance for the days of work, equal to his basic wage.

In all cases, the worker may not be required to work during the annual leave more than once within two consecutive years.