Qatar Announces Sick Leave Rules Showing What Workers Are Entitled to Under Law
- Workers in Qatar qualify for sick leave protection after completing three months of service, provided they submit a medical report
- Qatar law splits sick leave into three stages, with full pay, half pay, and unpaid periods each carrying different conditions
- Employees risk losing their job after 12 weeks if a licensed physician confirms they cannot return to work
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Workers employed in Qatar become entitled to sick leave benefits once they have completed at least three months of continuous service, according to Article 82 of Qatar's labour regulations.
To activate the entitlement, an employee must present a medical report issued by a qualified physician.
Source: UGC
How Qatar's sick leave pay works
The sick leave period is divided into three stages. In the first two weeks, an employee receives full pay. For the following four weeks, the employee is paid at 50% of their regular wage. After that six-week period, any remaining sick leave up to a maximum of 12 weeks is unpaid.
At the end of the 12-week period, an employer may terminate an employee's contract if a licensed physician certifies that the worker is not fit to resume duties.
Resignations, death, and end-of-service benefits
If an employee chooses to resign because of illness before the six-week mark, and a physician approves the decision, the employer is required to pay the remaining sick leave entitlements that the worker had not yet received. The same obligation applies if the employee dies as a result of the illness before the end of that six-week window.
When calculating end-of-service gratuity, the entire 12-week sick leave period counts as active service time, meaning it does not reduce the total length of service recognised for benefit purposes.
Qatar announces 2 salary thresholds for foreigners
Legit.ng earlier reported that Qatar has published the full list of conditions expatriates must meet before they can sponsor their families to live with them in the country, with two distinct salary benchmarks for private-sector workers.
Source: Legit.ng
