Coronavirus infected employees in UAE to be granted sick leave

An employee who has completed over three months of work after their probation period is over, can get a sick leave for not more than 90 days for every year, a report said, citing the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. (File/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 09 May 2020
Follow

Coronavirus infected employees in UAE to be granted sick leave

  • The ministry warned companies to not terminate the service of any employee who had tested positive for coronavirus

DUBAI: Employees infected with coronavirus in the UAE will be given sick leave in accordance with Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, state news agency WAM reported.
An employee who has completed over three months of work after their probation period is over, can get a sick leave for not more than 90 days for every year, the report said, citing the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
They should also get paid a full salary for the first 15 days, half salary for another 30 days, and no salary for the remaining 45 days, it added.
The ministry also warned companies to not terminate the service of any employee who had tested positive for coronavirus, and would take care of termination complaints involving such cases.
If the complaint does not get resolved in a friendly way, it will then be passed on to the court to determine whether it is considered a lawful termination or an arbitrary dismissal, the ministry said.
“Private sector establishments’ commitment to paying wages on time, documenting leaves especially early leaves and amending contracts that include the temporary or permanent reduction of wages under an agreement between the two parties concerned is essential to protecting the rights of all parties. The Ministry considers the value of wages mentioned in the WPS to reflect contracts signed by the concerned parties,” it added.


’We can’t make ends meet’: civil servants protest in Ankara

Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

’We can’t make ends meet’: civil servants protest in Ankara

  • Some 800 civil servants from the Confederation of Public Employees’ Unions joined a march to the labor ministry
  • “The increase in rents is almost three times higher than the pay rise we received,” Kocak told demonstrators

ANKARA: Hundreds of angry civil servants marched through Ankara Wednesday demanding a realistic pay rise as they battle poverty amid the soaring prices and double-digit inflation.
Some 800 civil servants from the Confederation of Public Employees’ Unions (KESK) joined a march to the labor ministry in the Turkish capital, carrying banners demanding an immediate pay rise.
“The increase in rents is almost three times higher than the pay rise we received, meaning our salaries are not even enough to cover the rent increases alone,” Ayfer Kocak, KESK’s co-chair, told demonstrators outside the ministry.
“We are experiencing growing poverty and insecurity.”
Turkiye’s annual inflation rate fell to 30.89 percent in December from 44.38 percent a year earlier, official figures showed, but independent economists and unions say real numbers remain much higher.
According to December figures released by the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IS), the absolute minimum needed to feed a family of four was just over 30,000 liras ($690).
At the same time, Turkiye’s poverty threshold — the sum required to cover the basic needs for a family of that size — had risen to 98,000 liras ($2,270), it said.
Food inflation approached 43 percent annually, it added.

- ‘We can’t make ends meet’ -

“The government is condemning civil servants to live in degrading conditions by relying on misleading data” from the official statistics agency TUIK, Tulay Yildirim, head of a local teachers’ union branch, told AFP.
“We workers’ voices to be heard, saying we can no longer make ends meet and want to receive our fair share of a budget created through taxes paid by all citizens,” she added.
Earlier this month, public sector wages were hiked by 18.6 percent for the next six months, an increase unions said was insufficient.
“There are not only workers here, but also pensioners. The salary increase granted falls below the poverty line,” said Osman Seheri, head of a local branch of the municipal workers’ union.
“We cannot even afford proper clothes to go to work, let alone a suit and tie. With such wages, it is impossible to live in a major city.”
According to the independent Inflation Research Group (ENAG), which challenges the official data, annual inflation in Turkiye reached 56.14 percent in December 2025, with prices rising 2.11 percent in December alone.