Women and men to get equal pay for same job in private sector

Aya Eldeeb, Staff Reporter

The female employees at the private sector will receive equal wages of males’ if they do the same work. This is in accordance with the Decree of the Federal Law No. (6) of 2020 recently issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, amending some provisions of the Federal Law No. (8) of 1980 regarding regulation of labour relations.

The first article of the decree-law stipulates that the text of Article (32) of Federal Law No. (8) of 1980 regarding the regulation of labour relations shall be replaced by the following text: “Female employees shall receive wages similar to that of males if they perform the same work, or another of equal value. The procedures, controls and standards necessary for evaluating work of equal value will be set under a decision to be issued by the Cabinet based on a proposal from the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation.”

The second article of the decree included the addition of a new article, No. 74, to the articles of the Law stipulating that the employees of the private sector will be granted a paid parental leave for a period of five working days to care for his/her child, due from the date of the child's birth until the completion of six months.

The decree stipulated that it would be published in the official gazette and would take effect after a month from the date of issuing that was on Aug.25, 2020.

A number of female employees emphasized the importance of the amendments to the Law, stressing that they reflect the country’s concern for female employees and improve the quality of work. The amendments further stimulate women to work harder with creativity and innovation, as well as motivating Emirati women to join the private sector.