United Arab Emirates approves equal pay legislation and publishes other proposed employment reforms

Equal pay legislation

The United Arab Emirates’ Cabinet of Ministers approved the first legislation dedicated to equal pay between men and women. The draft law will enter into force when approved by the UAE Federal National Council. The draft law has not been released and the implementation timeline has not been set.

Dubai: New DIFC employment law proposal

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has published a new draft Employment Law 2018 to replace the existing law of 2005. DIFC employment law applies only to employers within the DIFC. The proposed legislation addresses and revises several areas of employment law not fully addressed in the current DIFC law, such as paternity leave, discrimination, sick leave, working hours, the status of part-time and short-time employees, and provisions that should be covered by the employment contract. The draft law will enter into force once approved by the DIFC President, which is expected in the summer of 2018.