For women working in Dubai, maternity benefits vary slightly between the private sector and public sector. Article 30 of the Federal law states that a working woman is entitled to maternity leave with full pay for a period of forty five (45) days which includes the time before and after delivery.
To benefit from this entitlement the employee must have completed a continuous period of service of not less than one (1) year. If the employee has not completed one (1) year of continuous service she will be entitled to the same period of maternity leave, however this will be at half pay.
Once the maternity leave has expired, the employee may take a further period of leave of up to one hundred (100) days
In addition, once the maternity leave has expired, the employee may take a further period of leave of up to one hundred (100) days. This leave can be taken if the employee is unable to return to work due to an illness related to the pregnancy or delivery. The period of up to one hundred (100) days can be taken as consecutive or non-consecutive days.
In such instances the employee would be expected to provide a medical certificate issued by a medical authority attested by the competent health authority or endorsed by such authorities. This entitlement is specifically if the employee cannot resume work due to an illness related to the pregnancy or delivery. This entitlement is in addition to any other type of leave.
On returning to work after the maternity leave period, and for a period of up to eighteen (18) months from the date of delivery, a female employee is entitled to two (2) nursing breaks of half an hour each, per day. These two (2) additional nursing breaks are with pay therefore not result in any salary deduction. Quite often employers allow the nursing mother to combine the two (2) breaks and shorten the working day by one (1) hour
During the maternity leave period, other benefits such as annual leave accrual or end of service will continue to accrue.
