In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued Decree No. (5) of 2026 on the Central Grievances Committee for Dubai Government employees. The Decree aims to strengthen justice, transparency, and good governance in Dubai’s government, while promoting job security and encouraging employee performance and innovation.
The Committee aims to provide employees with the opportunity to appeal final administrative decisions and actions that affect their legal and employment status, roles, and work conditions, ensuring fairness, impartiality, job satisfaction, and compliance with public service laws and professional conduct standards.
The Decree establishes the Grievance Adjudication Committee to review appeals submitted to the Central Grievances Committee. It includes a Chairman, Deputy Chair, and members with legal and HR expertise, appointed by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. The Committee must include representatives from the General Secretariat of The Executive Council, the Supreme Legislative Committee, and the Dubai Government HR Department. The Decree also defines the mandates, duties, and the responsibilities of Grievance Adjudication Committee, its chairman and members.
Employees may submit grievances within 14 working days from receiving written notice of the Committee’s decision, or after the Committee’s decision deadline. Late submissions are allowed only with a valid excuse.
Grievances may be submitted to the Central Grievances Committee on grounds such as lack of jurisdiction, violation or misapplication of the law, failure to follow essential procedures, abuse of authority, decisions against the public interest, excessive discipline, or actions taken without a valid reason.
The Decree outlines the grievance submission process and the reasons a grievance may be rejected, including: if it falls outside the Grievance Adjudication Committee’s jurisdiction, if it is submitted after the deadline, if the matter has already been decided by the Committee or the courts, or if the employee does not have the right or legitimate interest to file the grievance.
All decisions of the Grievance Adjudication Committee are final and binding on the government entity, and cannot be challenged administratively, though employees may still appeal to the courts.
The Chairman, members, staff, and any experts of the Committee must maintain strict confidentiality of all information, documents, and decisions, even after leaving the Committee.
The Decree requires any person holding documents, papers, or evidence related to a grievance that may not be disclosed to others to return them to the Central Grievances Committee for archiving or handling in accordance with its approved procedures. All related materials must be preserved and archived in accordance with applicable regulations to prevent unauthorised access. The Chairman of the Committee will issue internal decisions on the disposal of grievance related documents.
This Decree annuls Executive Council Resolution No. (41) of 2015 on the Central Grievances Committee for Employees of the Government of Dubai. Any provision in other legislation that conflicts with this Decree is also repealed. Regulations and decisions under Resolution No. 41 of 2015 remain in place to the extent they do not conflict with this Decree, until replaced.
This Decree is effective from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.