Questioner asks: More than eight months ago, I joined a company based in Dubai. Presently, according to my company, I am under probation. My company made me sign a letter in this regard agreeing to a probation period of one year. Please advise me, as per UAE labour law, what the legal probation period is and whether it can be increased to one year.
Answer: Article no. 37 of the Federal Labour Law No. 8 of 1980 states the following. “A worker may be engaged on probation for a period not exceeding six months, during which his service may be terminated by the employer without notice or severance pay: provided that a worker shall not be engaged on probation more than once in the service of any one employer. Where a worker successfully completes his period of probation and remains in his job, the said period shall be reckoned towards his period of service”.
Therefore, based on such article, no agreement shall be made to increase the probation period.
