Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on Sunday announced DIFC Presidential Directive No. 4 of 2020, which seeks to help limit the impact of the Covid-19 situation. Effective from April 21, 2020 until July 31, 2020 (the emergency period), the new directive provides greater flexibility to DIFC-based employers and increased protection to employees.

Companies based in DIFC will have the ability to introduce several emergency employment-related measures during the Covid-19 environment to expeditiously deal with the impact of the pandemic.

Employers can now impose reduced working hours, paid or unpaid leave, reduced pay, restrict workplace access and put in place remote working conditions without the consent of their employees for the duration of the emergency period. The primary motive of the directive is to make it easier for DIFC employers to impose temporary changes to their employees' terms of employment, which in turn will reduce the likelihood of employers having to resort to terminate employment of their staff. This is beneficial to employees in the long run. It is important to note that these measures may only be imposed for the duration of the emergency period and any permanent changes will require employee consent.

The directive ensures that any DIFC-based employee who contracts Covid-19 or has been quarantined by the local authorities to limit the spread of the virus will retain full remuneration. This is in respect of their Covid-19 related sick leave pay and any such sick leave shall not be counted towards their annual sick leave entitlement.

Employers may also defer the visa cancellation process for their terminated employees to avoid any unnecessary hardship for them provided the employers continue to provide basic medical insurance cover. Employees working in the retail, service and hospitality sectors must also be provided accommodation in such circumstances.

The directive also protects employees' end-of-service gratuity accrued prior to the recent introduction of DEWS. The gratuity payments for a terminated employee's gratuity payment will be calculated on their basic salary as of February 29, 2020 to ensure that any subsequent reduction of pay does not affect what they receive.

The directive also makes provision for DIFC to create an Available Employee Database for employees who were made redundant in the current crisis, as well as those that are surplus to their employers' current needs. The aim is to do the utmost to support these individuals find alternative employment.

Additionally, the directive also deals with important considerations of privacy and cyber security for employees working in remote working conditions. Follows the example of other key jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, DIFC seeks to temporarily suspend the wrongful trading obligations of companies based in the Centre under the DIFC Insolvency Law. It also eases concerns of DIFC company directors that they may be held personally liable for continuing to trade amid the heightened uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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