Qatar Labour: Understanding Work Leaves and Vacations

Work leaves and vacations are filed by the employees when they need time for some particular important reasons. During these leaves, the work status of the employees will not be affected. According to Qatar Labor Law Articles 78 to 85, there are things to be considered such as the provisions on working hours when it comes to official leaves.

Also Read: Social Media Rules to Follow in Qatar

Be aware of the leaves and vacations that you can file and maximize your holidays to make the most of your employment.

qatar work leaves
Know the leaves and vacations you are entitled for as an expat worker in Qatar.

Work Leaves and Vacations in Qatar

Here is the list of employee’s official leaves in Qatar. Please be guided accordingly.

Annual Leave

Employees who filed annual leaves can still receive full wage.

  • Eid El-Fitr leave: 3 working days
  • Eid Al-Adha leave: 3 working days
  • Independence Day leave: 1 working day
  • An annual leave with pay (at least 3 weeks) can be filed by an employee if he has completed one but not more than five continuous years of service in his employer. Meanwhile, if an employee has already completed more than five years of service, he can file an annual leave with pay (at least 4 weeks).
  • In proportion of a worker’s period of service, he can be entitled to take a leave for the fraction of the year.
  • During the annual leave, the employer can:
  • Set the date of the annual leave of his employee in accordance with the work requirements.
  • Divide the leave that is not more than two periods, with the consent from the employee.
  • Postpone the annual leave of the employee with the written application of postponement by the employer. The postponement should not be more than half of the annual leave to the year following the year of its entitlement.
  • The entitlement of annual leave cannot be waived by the employee.
  • The employee is entitled to pay on his leave days if his contract is terminated before he could take his leave. The payment is equivalent to his wage on his period of leave.

Sick Leave

  • The employee can take his sick leave with pay yearly within the period of his service.
  • A medical certificate issued by a physician and approved by his employer should be provided by the employee for him to be entitled with sick leave.
  • The employee should be paid with full wage if his sickness did not exceed beyond two weeks. If it exceeds beyond four weeks, he should be paid with half of his wage. Finally, if the sickness was extended beyond the fourth week, he would not be paid with his wage anymore.
  • The employee will be terminated if the sick leave is extended upon its 14th It should be supported by a medical report issued by a physician indicating that employee cannot resume to his work at that moment.
  • The employee should be paid with the balance of his entitlement if he filed a resignation from work due to his sickness before the end of the 6 weeks to which he is given with a sick leave with pay. This should be issued with approval of a physician.
  • If the employee dies before the end of 6 weeks of sick leave, he should be paid with the balance of his entitlement. This should be issued with approval of a physician.

These provisions will not affect the continuous service of the employee on his work.

Leave for Muslim Employees

  • A Muslim employee can have a leave without pay, not exceeding two weeks to fulfil his duty once within the period of his service.
  • The employer has the authority to entitle his employees with leave, prioritizing those who have longer years of service.

Other Provisions

  • The employee is not permitted to work for another employer during his leave. If this happened and proven, the employer can deprive the wage of the employee for the leave period.
  • The employer is neither permitted to file termination for his employee nor notify him of termination during the leave period. If the notice period expires during the leave periods, it is not also permitted to be done by the employer.

Please be aware of your leaves and vacations that you are entitled to have in your employment. Use them wisely and take advantage of them.

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