UAE Public Holidays 2023 - Is my nanny entitled to the Public Holidays

In UAE, there are a series of public holidays throughout the year, celebrating a range of important dates and festivals.

These include national holidays in the UAE such as Eid-Al-Fitr, Arafat Day and UAE National Day, as well as a selection of others.

Is my nanny entitled to the Public Holiday?

No, your domestic worker is not entitled to the public holidays.

Domestic workers, such as a full-time nanny, housekeeper or maids, work under a different domestic worker’s law, instead of the labour law that regulates the public and private sector.

Domestic Workers employment rights are protected under the Federal Decree 9/2022 affording domestic workers different protection rights when it comes to working hours and rest days.

Each year, every domestic worker is legally entitled to 30 days of paid annual vacation.

However, public holidays are not included in this entitlement, meaning you do not have to give your worker the day off.

If your nanny wished to take a public holiday off, this would count towards her annual 30 days of vacation.  

This rule also applies during times when working hours are reduced in the public and private sectors, for example during the month of Ramadan.

What are domestic workers entitled to?

Created to allow for regulated and better working conditions for domestic workers, the Federal Decree-Law No.9/2022 now ensures nannies maids and other domestic staff have their rights protected.

Article 9 of the law grants domestic workers one paid day off each week, and also states that they should have 12 hours of rest per day.  Out of these 12 hours of rest, eight hours should be consecutive.

In addition, Article 10 states they are entitled to 30 days annual leave. Depending on the circumstances, the employer may determine the date on which annual leaves are to commence, and he may choose to divide the leave into two parts if necessary.

In the UAE, many domestic workers will wait the full year to take their annual leave, and then take one month off.

For example, your nanny in Dubai may use this time to travel home and visit family, while others may choose to stay in the home or in the UAE, which is considered local leave.

In the event that a domestic worker wishes to spend his/her annual leave in his/her home country, the employer must incur the cost of the return ticket once every two years.

If you have a question about your domestic worker’s leave entitlement or other queries regarding their employment rights, you can get in touch with our HR team at Housekeeping Co.

You can find our Tadbeer centre next to the Equiti Metro Station Exit 2 on Sheikh Zayed Road, which is open every day from 8am-8pm. Alternatively, you can call our team on 04-706-0100.