"Critical protection gaps remain in UAE’s new domestic worker law", 28 Nov 2022

The UAE’s new domestic workers law (Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022) will come into force on December 15, 2022. The law contains many of the same provisions as the previous law, with a few significant changes. There continue to be critical protection gaps for domestic workers, including the lack of a minimum wage, constrained sick leave options, and no explicit right to mobility outside the home.

Throughout the legislation, imprecise wording and undefined terms also put more power into the hands of employers. The new implementing regulations for the law may resolve some of the ambiguities and concerns detailed below, but they have not yet been released. The old implementing regulations will be in force until the new regulations are published...

Domestic workers retain the right to one day off per week, but there is no requirement that workers may dispose of this time as they wish or outside the home...

The new law introduces an explicit prohibition against the unauthorised deduction of wages...