DUBAI // Sweeping changes to the way businesses support working mothers are needed to reflect progressive attitudes towards breastfeeding in the UAE.
A legal consultant specialising in employment law said a change in the law is necessary for all companies to adopt more family friendly approaches to working mothers.
Sara Khoja, who works for Clyde and CO, said: "There should be a natural progression for the government to increase maternity leave.
"Larger employers are happy to be more flexible but, for smaller companies, it is more of a financial hardship, so there would have to be a change in the law for them to allow it, too."
MediaCom and twofour54, the commercial arm of the media zone authority in Abu Dhabi, are two organisations offering extended allowance for mothers.
Mrs Khoja left her daughter at three months old to return to work but was allowed flexible hours to continue breastfeeding at home.
"Most employees recognise that 45 days isn't particularly generous," she said.
"It would be a great message from the government if there were more rights for working mums.
"We are seeing more employers work with expectant mothers to give them as much time off as is possible with a schedule of maternity leave."
Some mothers who are prepared to take a period of unpaid leave are at risk of losing their job if they wish to return, she said, as they have no legal protection from businesses who may wish to retain temporary staff taken on during a period of maternity leave.
"People in this situation are relying on employers being family friendly," Mrs Khoja said.
"It is only recently there have been a lot more working mothers here in Dubai.
"It can happen that a woman goes on maternity leave and, if there has been cover, sometimes their employment can be terminated and the cover kept on.
"There is no automatic right for women to return to the same role they had previously."
Under Federal Law, there is nothing that prevents discrimination in the workplace, either related to sex, maternity or pregnancy, Mrs Khoja said, so a woman is not guaranteed to retain her position.
Employees at Mediacom in the Mena region have been benefiting from an extended six-month maternity leave since January 1.
Bre Hill, the communication firm's regional HR manager in Dubai, said a family friendly approach to help retain staff outweighs the financial implications.
"Obviously any significant change will have an impact on a business," she said. "But as you would expect with any global organisation we did a thorough assessment of the impact. We're confident our clients and business performance won't feel a negative impact from these changes. Hopefully it will feel a substantial positive impact as talented staff will return to work rather than leave altogether."
At Clyde and Co, new fathers are offered a week off as paid paternity leave and a further week off unpaid, if needed.
Dubai International Financial Centre free zone offers all female staff 65 working days off for maternity leave, with 33 of those fully paid, and 32 on half pay.
Length of allocated time off depends on how long new parents have been working for that particular company. Federal law states that only half pay will be offered to those taking 45 days off as maternity leave if they have been working for less than a year.
The UAE may lag behind many countries in its statutory maternity leave allocation, but it is still more generous than the US. Pregnant women there are entitled to up to 12 weeks unpaid annual leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but that applies to only full time employees at companies with at least 50 staff, about half of all workers in the US.
Statistics at the Bureau of Labor show paid maternity leave is even rarer, offering entitlement to just 12 per cent of the working population. America's Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 ensures firing or demoting an employee because she's pregnant is illegal, but cases of discrimination can be hard to prove.
In contrast, the UK guarantees 39 weeks of paid leave for new mums, with Australia offering 18 weeks. Central European Countries have the most generous terms. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows Slovakia provides 164 weeks of paid maternity leave, followed by Hungary with 160.
Policy at twofour54 states that a female employee who has worked for at least 12 consecutive months can take 60 days off on full pay and a further 60 days on half pay. A further 60 days of leave can then be taken, without pay.
Out of 200 employees at twofour54, 30 per cent are women. But just 21 per cent of the 45 women who have fallen pregnant have taken the full six months maternity leave.
Less than 10 per cent took five months off, and 27 per cent opted for four months maternity leave.
Maryam Al Mheiri, the chief operating officer of twofour54, said: "We value the role of working mothers and their commitment in making a difference to the media sector and the community as a whole.
"We strive to create an energetic, innovative and flexible workplace that allows new mothers to take the time they need to spend with their newborns.
"This allows them to care for their babies until they are fully ready to rejoin twofour54.
"We have always appreciated the hard work and commitment of our employees and, through our maternity and paternity leave policies, we convey our understanding and support during significant and endearing family times."
nwebster@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
