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Mothers in Sharjah will be granted a 60-day maternity leave, announced the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) on Saturday. This applies to all residents in Sharjah.
Tariq Sultan bin Khadim, Member of the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) lauded the SEC decision granting non Emirati mothers a maternity leave for 60 days with pay in implementation to the directives by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Previously, expat mothers were granted a 45-day maternity leave, while Emirati mothers would be able to take a paid leave for 60 days after giving birth.
Commending the gesture of Ruler of Sharjah, Khadim added that the move aims to give the expatriate mothers their natural right to look after their babies.
The male employees whom their wives deliver babies in and outside UAE are entitled to the fatherhood leave for three days with pay.
Sharjah is the first emirate to implement the extended maternity leave, as all other emirates apply a 45-day leave in line with the UAE Labor Law. Furthermore, paternity leave is not included in the Law.
“A working woman is entitled to 45 days maternity leave with full pay which includes the period before and after the delivery, provided she has served continuously for not less than one year.
The maternity leave is granted with half pay if the woman has not completed one year of service. At the end of the maternity leave, a working woman has the right to extend her maternity leave for a maximum period of l0 days without pay,” states the Law.
It further reads: “During the 18 months following delivery, a female employee who nurses her child has the right to have two daily intervals which do not exceed half an hour each for the purpose of nursing her child. These additional intervals are considered part of her working hours and no deduction in wages can be made.”
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