UAE federal workers to face up to 10-day pay cut for flouting Covid rules

Order from federal HR authority sets out fines for shaking hands and failing to wear a mask

Safety measures are implemented at The Butcher restaurant in the Marina. Dubai. All photos by Chris Whiteoak / The National

Covid-19 safety measures are implemented at The Butcher restaurant in the Marina, Dubai.

A "stay safe" sign in Jumeirah.

A man makes his deliveries on a moped in the Marina, Dubai.

A man at the marina hoses down a boat.

A Five hotel employee puts luggage through a Ultra Violet sanitiser machine.

The Waterfront Market in Deira, Dubai.

People look at artwork for sale at Anyahh Art in Dubai.

A man wearing a mask at Anyahh Art, Dubai.

A woman takes pictures in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, with a protective mask on.

A Covid-19 message is painted on a Dubai street.

A couple walk home from the shops in JVC, Dubai.

Employees at UAE federal departments and ministries face up to a 10-day salary cut for flouting Covid-19 safety guidelines.

Anyone infected with coronavirus who goes into the office and does not tell their manager, as well as workers who fails to comply with treatment or who refuse to continue with it, face a maximum 10-day penalty on their basic salary.

Employees who do not report symptoms face a cut of up to three days in basic salary, which progresses to a maximum of 10 if they repeat the offence three times.

The list of fines came in a Federal Authority for Government Human Resources circular to ensure employees follow rules designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 and safeguard public health.

And it comes as authorities step up efforts to ensure everyone in the UAE complies with the rules.

Employees found shaking hands will receive two warnings and up to a one-day deduction if repeated for a third time.

Another rule stipulates that if an employee leaves or returns to the UAE without following health requirements or gaining approval, they face a maximum of three, five, and 10-day deduction from their basic salary if they repeat the offence up to three times.

Other federal rules in the circular: 

1) Employees face up to a one-day pay cut for refusing a Covid-19 test once, a three-day cut for a second time, and maximum five-day penalty for a third time.

2) Any employee found to ignore precautionary guidelines gets two warnings and up to a one-day pay cut a third time.

3) Line managers who fail to act if employees display symptoms face a written warning, up to a one-day cut and a three-day pay cut the third time.

4) If an employee fails to inform an employer that they were in close contact with a positive case or fails to comply with home quarantine instructions, they face up to a one-day cut, a three-day cut if this omission is repeated, and up to a five-day cut for a third time.

5) People who fail to wear a mask at work will receive a written warning the first time, face up to a one-day basic salary deduction for a second offence, and up to a three-day deduction a third time.