Disciplinary penalties
As per Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relationships, the ‘UAE Labour Law’, an employer or their representative may impose any of the following disciplinary penalties on a worker who violates the provisions of the law or its implementing regulations:
- a written notice
- a written warning
- deduction of wages of not less than five days per month
- suspension without pay for a period not exceeding 14 days
- deprivation from the periodic bonus, for a period not exceeding one year, in establishments containing a system for such bonuses
- deprivation of promotion, for a period not exceeding two years, in establishments applying a system of promotions
- termination of service while preserving the workers’ right to the end of service benefits.
Rules for imposing disciplinary sanctions
Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 on the Implementation Regulation of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 (PDF, 652 KB), outlines the rules for imposing disciplinary sanctions on the workers as follows:
- Disciplinary sanctions must take into account the gravity of the violation committed, in accordance with the criteria listed in Article 24 of the resolution above
- The employer must draw up a schedule of penalties clarifying each of the disciplinary sanctions set out in Article 39 of the UAE Labour Law
- No disciplinary sanction may be imposed on a worker unless they have been notified in writing of the violation, their statement has been heard, their defence has been reviewed, and the case documented in their file. The worker must also be notified in writing of the penalty imposed, its type, extent, reasons and the consequences of repetition.
- A worker may not be accused of a violation after more than 30 days from its discovery, nor may a penalty be imposed after more than 60 days from the conclusion of the investigation and confirmation of the violation.
- In addition to the right to file a labour complaint with Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the worker may also file a grievance with the department concerned in his/her company against any penalty imposed on him/her and must be notified of its outcome by the employer.
Any employer with 50 or more workers must establish a clear system for complaints and grievances, either displayed prominently or made available through other mechanisms. This system must state that employees have the right to raise complaints or grievances to the employer or their representative, and that responses must be provided in writing within a specified timeframe.
Work regulations
Article 14 of the above Executive Regulations requires employers hiring 50 workers or more to adopt internal work regulations covering areas such as work instructions, penalties, promotions and rewards, and procedures for terminating employment. Employers must inform workers of these regulations by any available means and in a language they understand.
- Work regulations must:
- not contradict the provisions of the UAE Labour Law and its Implementing Regulations
- include conditions and procedures for imposing disciplinary penalties
- specify daily working hours, weekly rest days, official holidays and the necessary measures and precautions to be taken to avoid work injuries and fire hazards
- state the criteria and rules related to promotions and rewards.
Temporary suspension from work
According to Article 40 of the ‘UAE Labour Law’, a worker may be suspended temporarily if he/she is charged with deliberate commission of a crime against life, property, honour, honesty or of carrying out a strike. The suspension shall begin since notification of the incident to the competent authorities until a decision is issued.
The worker shall not be entitled to his/her wages during the suspension period. If he/she is cleared of the accusation of the crime, or if it is decided to not prosecute him/her, he/she shall be reinstated and paid the full wages for the suspension period.
However, if the employer wants to conduct a disciplinary investigation, he/she may suspend the worker temporarily for a maximum period of 30 days. During the suspension, the worker will be entitled for a half of his/her wage. If no case was established against the worker, then the employer will have to pay him/her the wage in full for the suspension period.
Updated On :
03 Sep 2025
