Pay Scale Gender Equity at Al Ain University (AAU)
Salary Audits and Gender Pay Comparisons
Routine Pay Reviews: AAU indicates that its Human Resources (HR) department actively monitors and reviews staff salaries to ensure equity between male and female employees. For example, AAU’s HR Center regularly compares salary levels by gender for equivalent roles. As part of its recent THE Impact Rankings submission on Decent Work (SDG 8), AAU even provided a comparative salary table for male and female staff, demonstrating that pay scales are identical for men and women in the same positions (reflecting a “same wage for the same work” principle) wam.ae. This suggests that internal audits of pay are conducted to verify that no gender-based salary gaps exist. If any disparities were identified, they would be flagged for correction under AAU’s commitment to pay equity. Notably, UAE labor law itself mandates this parity – female workers must be paid the same wage as male colleagues for the same work wam.ae – and AAU’s practices align with that legal standard. AAU’s monitoring since 2020 has not revealed any reported gender wage gaps, indicating that salary audits have consistently shown parity in pay scales.
Policy Commitment to Gender Pay Equity
Equal Pay Policy: Al Ain University has formal policies underscoring its commitment to gender pay equity and non-discrimination. In line with the UAE’s 2018 Equal Wages and Salaries law (which ensures women have equal opportunities as partners in development) wam.ae, AAU’s internal regulations prohibit any gender-based pay discrimination. The university’s Non-Discrimination Policy, as noted in an external quality review, explicitly requires fair and equal treatment of all staff regardless of gender qaa.ac.uk. This policy covers recruitment, promotion, and compensation practices. AAU emphasizes “equal pay for equal work” in its HR guidelines – meaning that men and women in the same job grade receive the same salary and benefits. The HR policies also promote gender-equitable recruitment and promotion practices, aiming to give women and men equal opportunity to advance and earn higher salaries based on merit. Overall, AAU’s governance documents (e.g. Staff Handbook and HR policies) affirm a zero-tolerance stance on gender pay inequality, aligning with national directives. The university’s leadership has publicly stated its support for gender balance in the workplace, which inherently includes closing any pay gaps. This strong policy framework ensures that pay scale equity is both a stated commitment and an operational norm at AAU qaa.ac.uk.
Gender equality in the workplace
https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=MOE+Annual+Report+2017_English.pdf
The Labor Law provides that the female worker shall be granted the same wage as the man if she were performing the same work. The Law on Equal Wages and Salaries for Men and Women ensures that women’s rights are protected and they have equal job opportunities. In addition, the Gender Balance Council recommends integrating gender into policies and programs and implementing gender balance in leadership positions amongst other actions to bring gender balance at workplace.
Gender Balance Guide
In September 2017, the Gender Balance Council launched the Gender Balance Guide: Actions for UAE Organizations prepared by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The guide recommends actions for organizations to:
- Implement commitment and oversight for gender balance
- Integrate gender into policies and programs
- Engage personnel towards gender balance
- Implement gender balance in leadership positions
- Implement gender sensitive communication.
Law on equal wages for women and men
https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=MOE+Annual+Report+2017_English.pdf
In 2018, the UAE Cabinet approved a law on equal wages and salaries for women and men. The law is in line with the government's objective to ensure the protection of women's rights and support their role in the process of national development.
It is also a part of the strategy for the initiative of empowerment of Emirati Women launched by Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Al Nahyan, the President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
Article 32 of the UAE labor law already provides that the female worker shall be granted a wage equal to that as the man is earning if she were performing the same work. This way, the UAE strives to empower and promote the social inclusion of all.
Protection for working women
Articles 27 to 34 of the UAE's labor law lay down special provisions for women employees in the private sector. Some of the important provisions are:
- Women may not be employed between 10 pm and 7 am with exceptions in administrative, technical and health services
- Women may not be employed in hazardous or strenuous or physically challenging jobs
- Women are entitled to the same wage that a man would earn for the same job
- Women are entitled to maternity benefits.
Al Ain University, aligned with the government policies of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, promotes wage and gender equity within the institution, for this reason both male and female professors within the institution have the same salary ascribed to the rank Professor obtained in the calls in each of the schools. The Al Ain University human resources center determines and monitors the equal salary of the employees, below you can see a table with the salary value of both men and women in each of the university colleges.
Table 1. Gender Equity Based Salary Al Ain University Staff.
|
Staff ID |
Gender |
Rank |
College |
Salary |
|
128 |
Female |
Assistant Prof |
Engineering |
23560 |
|
173 |
Male |
Assistant Prof |
Engineering |
23560 |
|
141 |
Female |
Assistant Prof |
Law |
20560 |
|
139 |
Male |
Assistant Prof |
Law |
20560 |
|
143 |
Female |
Assistant Prof |
Business |
21360 |
|
144 |
Male |
Assistant Prof |
Business |
21360 |
Section IV: Wages
https://www.gulftalent.com/repository/ext/UAE_Labour_Law.pdf
Article 55
Wages shall be paid in legal tender on a working day, at the place of work, in the official national currency.
Article 56
Workers employed on yearly or monthly wage basis shall be paid at least once a month; all other workers shall be paid at least once every two weeks.
Article 57
The daily wage of workers employed on piecemeal basis shall be calculated as an equivalent to the average wage received for actual days of work during the six months preceding the termination of his service.
Article 58
Evidence of payment to workers of their due wages, irrespective of their amount or nature, shall not be admissible unless it is in the form of documentary proof, admission or oath.. Any agreement to the contrary shall be null and void, albeit made prior to the date this Law comes into force.
Article 59
Workers shall not be required to purchase food or other commodities at any particular shop, or of employer’s produce.
Article 60
No amount of money may be deducted from a worker's wage in respect of private claims, except in the following cases:
1. Repayment of loans or money advances paid to the worker in excess of his entitlements, provided that the amount deducted in this case shall not exceed 10 per cent of his wage.
2. Contributions that the workers are required by law to make from their wages, towards social security and insurance schemes.
3. The worker’s contributions to a provident fund or repayment of loans due thereto.
4. Contributions towards any welfare scheme or in respect of any other privileges or services provided by the employer and approved by the labour department.
5. Fines imposed upon the worker for any offence he commits.
6. Any debt exacted in execution of a court ruling, provided, however, that the deduction made in execution thereof should not exceed one-quarter of the wage due to the worker. Where there are several debts or creditors, the maximum deduction shall be half the worker’s wage, which shall be divided pro rata among the creditors, after payment of any legal alimony to the extent of one quarter of the worker’s wage.
Article 61
Where a worker, either through his own fault or as a result of violating the employer's instructions, causes a loss, damage or destruction to any tools, machines, products or materials that are owned by or in the custody of the employer, the employer may deduct from the worker's wage such amount as may be necessary for repair or restoration, provided that the amount so deducted shall not exceed five days’ wage for each month. However, the employer, through the concerned labour department, may request the competent court for permission to deduct a higher amount if the worker has money or any other source of income.
Article 62
An employer may not transfer a monthly-paid worker, without his written consent, to the daily, weekly, hourly or piecemeal paid category.
Article 63
The minimum wage and the cost-of-living index payable to workers in general or in a particular area or occupation shall be fixed by a federal decree based on a proposal to be made by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and approved by the Council of Ministers. The Minister shall put forward his proposal for determining, or reviewing, the minimum wage, after consulting the competent authorities and the labour organisations of workers and employers, if any, and after having reference to studies and tables of fluctuations in the cost of living indices drawn up by the competent authorities in the State, to ensure that the said minima are sufficient to meet the worker’s basic needs and guarantee his livelihood.
Article 64
The minimum wage rates and any amendments thereto shall take effect from the date the decree announcing them is published in the official Gazette.
FACULTY PROMOTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
♦ Promotion Policies
AAU faculty members are promoted in accordance with the rules stated below which include performance in the areas of teaching, university and community engagement, and research.
The faculty member’s teaching performance is evaluated periodically by the students, Department Head, Deputy Dean, and College Dean. The faculty’s commitment to the syllabus, creativity, and innovative teaching methods plays a great role in the evaluation. Moreover, the services the faculty member renders to both the University and the community are monitored. The level of the involvement and the type of engagement contribute in the assessment.
Finally, the faculty member’s scholarly activity remains the most important factor in the promotion process. A faculty member applying for promotion needs to meet the requirements of research and publication as set by AAU.
A faculty member shall only be entitled to apply for promotion after the passage of two years from his/her appointment as a full-time faculty member in AAU.
Applications for promotion can be submitted during the first and second semesters. The college dean, in consultation with the academic department, should decide whether to proceed with the application within one month. Given that the committee decided to proceed with the application, the application should be forwarded to the University Appointment and Promotion Committee.
A faculty member applying for promotion needs to obtain a rating of at least (good) in both the teaching and community service evaluation reports prior to sending the papers to the external referees.
All papers submitted as part of the application for promotion are to be sent to three external referees. In order for the applicant to be considered for promotion, he/she must receive:
- A “strong” recommendation from two out of the three referees to be promoted to Associate Professor.
- A “strong” recommendation from all three external referees to be promoted to Professor.
Promotion to the rank of associate professor
In order to be promoted to the rank of associate professor, the candidate must fulfil the following conditions:
I. He/she should have served a minimum of five years as a full-time assistant professor at AAU or any other accredited college or university, provided that the last two years of his /her service are at AAU. The faculty member may apply for promotion after having served for four years and six months instead of five, provided he/she meets the other requirements.
II. Faculty members must submit a minimum of six scientific papers (indexed in Scopus). At least four of which should have been “published”; while the rest can be “accepted” for publication.
III. All submitted publications must be within the faculty’s major and minor fields of specialization.
IV. Three of the published articles should be published in a first order journal as defined by the university.
V. The candidate should be the sole author (or first author) of at least three of the submitted journal article publications.
VI. At least four of the papers must be published, or accepted for publication, during the faculty’s work at AAU with the University’s name appearing on each of the papers.
Promotion to the rank of Professor
In order to be promoted to the rank of professor, the candidate must fulfil the following conditions:
I. He/she must have served a minimum of five years as a full time associate professor at AAU or any other accredited college or university, provided that the last two years of his /her service are at AAU. The faculty member may apply for promotion after having served for four years and six months instead of five, provided he/she meets the other requirements.
II. Faculty members must submit a minimum of eight scientific papers (indexed in Scopus). At least six of which should have been “published”; while the rest can be “accepted” for publication.
III. All submitted publications must be within the faculty’s major and minor fields of specialization and have not been used in previous promotions.
IV. Four of the published articles should be published in first order journals as defined by the university.
V. The candidate should be the sole author (or first author) of at least four of the submitted journal article publications.
VI. At least six of the papers must be published, or accepted for publication, during the faculty’s work at AAU with the University’s name appearing on each of the papers.
FACULTY RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT
The main concern of the staff involved in the recruitment process at AAU is the selection of the most qualified candidates in their respective areas of specialization. An excellent academic record, research potential, and effective teaching performance are important criteria for the selection of faculty members.
The faculty recruitment procedure begins with an initiative taken by the Dean which includes a description of the position, duties, and responsibilities that the faculty position entails, and a justification for the vacant position. The candidate is asked to submit an application form, and other required documents, to the Human Resources Unit. All applications are sent to the academic department concerned for evaluation.
AAU has a non-discriminatory recruitment aspect with respect to an applicant’s gender, race, religion, or physical disabilities.
Selection criteria include the following:
I. academic performance, and the academic reputation of the institution that granted the degree held by the candidate.
II. proficiency in the field to be taught and the ability to integrate knowledge to related subject areas.
III. experience in teaching and the application of knowledge in the particular field of specialization.
IV. work published and lecturing experience.
V. knowledge and understanding of the philosophy, goals, and objectives of AAU
A Departmental Recruitment Committee and the Department Head review the documents that are submitted by candidates for employment. The best qualified candidates are recommended to the Dean of the College for approval and submission to the Vice-President, who, in turn, reviews the candidates once more before submitting a ranked list of candidates to the University President for final approval.
AAU President honours the distinguished Faculty staff of the College of Business
Based on the keenness of the university administration to encourage the faculty members and researchers to develop their academic skills in order to provide high quality education. The president of Al Ain University, Prof. Ghaleb El Refae, honored the distinguished faculty members from the College of Business.
The honouring was for: Dr. Mahmoud Askari, who got the Dean’s Award for Innovation in Teaching, Dr. Mosab Tabash, obtained the Dean’s Award for Quality Research, and Dr. Iffat Sabir, received the Dean’s Award for Impactful Community Service.
Prof. El Refae, praised the good performance of the professors and their keenness to work hard. He said: We are proud to have a distinguished group of professors at the College of Business, and we affirm our continuous support for them and our readiness to harness all possibilities in order to develop education, scientific research and community service and contribute in serving the education sector of the UAE.
He also pointed out that one of the important roles played by Al Ain University is spreading knowledge, which is reflected in the increase of scientific research carried out by faculty members and published in international journals. “One of the strategic goals of Al Ain University is to develop scientific research and innovation locally and globally and serve the community”, He added.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FACULTY MEMBERS
The different duties that a faculty member is expected to perform are classified under the following categories:
I. Teaching.
II. Research.
III. Service to the University and Community Engagement.
In addition to these general areas of activity, the faculty member is expected to:
I. participate actively in assessment procedures.
II. carry out administrative tasks and other activities related to the faculty member’s position.
III. uphold intellectual integrity and objectivity in the search for the truth.
IV. avoid discrimination against, harassment of, or imposing prejudicial treatment upon other faculty members, staff members, students, or participants because of ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, country of citizenship, age, political beliefs, or status as a person with a disability.
V. uphold current university rules and regulations.
VI. comply with reasonable and appropriate instructions from the Head of the Department, the Dean, or other authorized university officer with respect to the timely performance of their essential duties.
VII. perform his/her responsibilities and obligations as teachers/researchers/ scholars and members of the faculty.
VIII. use his/her time and efforts totally for the university; any work (teaching, training, consultation, supervision in whole or in part of a research, project, thesis and etc.) outside the university can only be performed after obtaining a written approval from the university administration based on an official letter from the relevant authority.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Academic Freedom is the right of members of the academic community to study, discuss, investigate, teach, conduct research, and publish as appropriate to their respective roles and responsibilities. It is the policy and responsibility of AAU to ensure and protect these rights within the governing framework of the institution.
However, faculty members have an obligation to acquaint their students with the various scholarly views related to their subjects, and they are expected to be judicious in the use of controversial materials.
(4) PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR FACULTY
The statements hereunder define some areas of ethical conduct that govern faculty members’ behaviour towards students, colleagues, the University, and the community. These statements do not address every situation; rather, they aim at providing the faculty member with an overview of a general perspective on the code of ethics governing Al Ain University.
I. Compliance with AAU’s Rules and Regulations
All faculty members at AAU shall abide by the rules and regulations applicable at AAU.
If the faculty member is uncertain about any issue, s/he may refer to the HR Manager,
the Department Head, the College Dean, AAU Vice President, or AAU President.
II. Harassment or Discrimination
Al Ain University upholds the principle that all individuals have the right to be treated with respect and equality. Any harassment, discrimination, or prejudicial treatment towards students, other faculty members, or administrative staff on grounds of ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, country of citizenship, age, or disability status undermines the AAU’s essential ethics and shall not be tolerated.
III. Conflict of Interest
Faculty members are obliged to avoid any situation where their personal interests conflict or could be interpreted as being in conflict, with those of AAU.
IV. Intellectual Property
Al Ain University advocates the ownership of intellectual material as stipulated by copyright laws. Faculty members have the obligation to comply with AAU’s Copyright Policy (see Section 5).
V. Confidentiality
Al Ain University prohibits any form of disclosure or dissemination of confidential information obtained during or after work with AAU. Faculty members shall treat as confidential any information or records conveyed to them on that basis.
Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF)
AAU has adopted the “Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF)” as one of its key principal strategies to contribute to a productive society through the enhancement of Research and Development (R&D). The SRSF main goal is to fund scientific R&D projects of excellence -within and across all disciplinesthat, will build capacity, expertise and develop collaborative relationships for AAU researchers. This will definitely invest in the development of a highly skilled, highly productive, and competitive research community and enable AAU researchers to compete nationally and internationally for other competitive research funding.
Faculty Development Fund Proposal Guidelines
• General
The AAU Faculty Development Fund (FDF) is administered as a competitive grants program. FDF awards are designed to help faculty conduct their proposed project. Submissions are limited to one proposal per principal investigator (or co-principal investigator) per competition. Funding of eligible projects may be requested.
• Eligibility
A full-time faculty member may submit proposals, regardless of the number of previous FDF grants that they may have been awarded in the past, with the following restrictions applying:
I. An individual may not receive more than one grant in anyone-year period and may not hold two FDF grants concurrently.
II. In order for an individual to receive subsequent FDF grants, the proposals must represent a significantly new project, and the reporting requirements for the prior award must have been met.
Although the focus of the program is on individual faculty development, two or more eligible faculty members may submit a collaborative proposal, with the following restrictions applying:
I. One participant must be designated as the project director, and that person may not reapply to this grant program for a one-year period after an award is given.
II. Other members of a group award may reapply within the one-year period, but priority will be given to faculty who have not received a previous award, either individually or as a member of a collaborative group.
III. A subsequent award will not be made to any member of a group award for work that is in any way related to the original project, even though a different faculty member is designated as the project director.
• Proposal Format
A complete proposal consists of the following four sections, in the order listed below. All figures and tables must be included in the eight-page proposal.
Copies of surveys, tests, evaluation forms, or similar items, may be included as appendices, but are limited to five pages.
I. A ‘Cover Sheet’ containing a 100-200 word abstract of the project and the signature of the principal investigator’s Department Head.
II. ‘Project Description’ (not to exceed eight pages). The content of this section will vary, depending on the nature of the project and the academic field of the applicant. Typically, the description will include a discussion of the nature of the problem to be investigated and its significance; the results of preliminary investigations, if any; goals and objectives; methodology, project design, or activities; and literature cited or bibliography. Also include plans for continuation of the grant activity.
III. ‘Budget Amount and Budget Description’ of your budget needs.
IV. ‘Curriculum Vitae’ of a maximum length of two pages.
V. Proposals that are late, incomplete, or in an incorrect format will not be reviewed.
New Decree To Assure Wages Punctual Payment
Abu Dhabi – 26 July, 2016 The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has launched a new decree to ensure employees’ wages have been fully paid within a period not exceeding 10 days from the registered due date in the WPS (wage protection system), the decree shall commence October 2016.
H.E Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation pointed out that companies employing over 100 workers must pay wages within a period not exceeding 10 days, if they fail, the ministry will stop granting them any additional work permits starting from the 16th day from the date of delay.
“Two main things should be considered in this matter, firstly, salary delays occur usually if the company fails to pay wages a month from the due date, the second, which refers to completely refraining wages, starts after entering into the second month, however, the decree shall refer to each case in a different matter,” he said.
The decree states, if a company delays wages a month from the due date, which means the company has entered into the refrainment phase, the ministry shall inform the judicial authorities and other related parties to take all necessary punitive measures against it, causing a complete strike against the other companies owned by the same employer, plus prohibiting the employer the ability of registering any new companies.
Furthermore, if a company continues to refrain wages, the ministry shall take necessary measures to use the bank guarantee, in addition to downgrading the company into the third category and enable the workers to move to another company.
“If the company fails to pay wages for 60 days from the due date, then administrative fines shall follow, not forgetting the punishments that had been already slapped for failing to pay wages a month from the due date,” Ghobash added.
Administrative fines hit Dh5000 (AE dirhams) per worker’s delayed wage, reaching a maximum of Dh50,000 dirhams in cases that include multiple workers complaining about delayed wages for over 60 days.
On the bright side, the ministry shall lift the ban off violating companies granting them the ability to apply for new work permits only if they immediately pay delayed wages during the first delay month, while the ban lasts for 60 days for companies that failed to pay wages for more than two months, after payment of course.
The decree reiterates that if the company often refrains salaries, the ban duration doubles after paying the wages.
Additionally, if the ministry came across any sorts of salary delays or refrains by companies that employ less than one hundred workers, the current regulations shall apply, from work permits ban to fines then public trial referral if the company fails to pay the money within 60 days, however, if the company notes such violations more than once in one year, then, in this case, the ministry shall apply penalties stated for companies that employ over 100 workers.
The decree clearly states the ministry shall not proceed with any transactions with companies that did not register in the WPS, in addition, to stop dealing with the owners of these companies until they register in the system, all to ensure workers' rights have been met.
Minimum wages
There is no minimum salary stipulated in the UAE Labour Law, however it broadly mentions that salaries must cover basic needs of the employees.
Article 63 of the Labour law mentions that the minimum wage and cost of living index is determined either in general or for a particular area or a particular profession by virtue of a decree and consent of the Cabinet.
Basic salary and total salary
The UAE Labour Law does not provide any guidelines on the percentage of the basic salary to be paid by the employer. So it is at the discretion of the company to decide this percentage and the employee may negotiate, accept or not.
How salaries should be paid?
According to Ministerial Decree No. 739 of 2016 Concerning the Protection of Wages, all employers registered with Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) must subscribe to Wages Protection System (WPS) and pay the wages of their employees through the WPS, as per the due dates.
Under this system, salaries of employees will be transferred to their accounts in banks or financial institutions, which are authorised by Central Bank of the UAE to provide the service.
MoHRE will not process any transactions or deal with the owners of the companies that are not registered with the WPS until they register in the system.
Use these resources to register in WPS and understand how it functions:
- Ministerial Resolution No. 788 for 2009 on Wages Protection System - MoHRE (PDF file)
- WPS Guideline - Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (PDF file)
- Wages Protection System - the official portal of Abu Dhabi Government
Watch this video about WPS. [10]
Fines for evading WPS
According to Ministerial Resolution No. 15 of 2017, these fines apply for actions involving fraudulent use of the WPS:
- Entry of incorrect data in the WPS for the purposes of evasion or circumvention - AED 5,000 for each worker and a maximum limit of AED 50,000 in case of multiple workers
- Failure to pay on due dates through the WPS - AED1,000 per employee
- Forcing employees to sign fake pay slips showing that they received their salaries – AED 5,000 per employee.
Late or unpaid salaries
The employer is considered as late in paying wages if the wage is not paid to the employee within 10 days from the due date, which is the next day of the end of the salary period.
The employer is considered as refusing to pay wages if the wage is not paid to the employee within one month of the due date.
Penalties on companies failing to pay salaries
On companies employing over 100 worker
Here are the consequences of companies employing over 100 workers failing to pay wages within a period not exceeding 10 days:
- They will not be issued work permits starting from the 16th day from the date of delay.
- Such companies delaying wages a month from the due date will be referred to judicial authorities for punitive measures.
- Action would be taken against all companies owned by the same owner.
- The owner/s will not be able to register any new company.
- Employees’ bank guarantees will be liquidated.
- The company will be downgraded to the third category.
- Workers will be allowed to move to other companies.
In case a company employing over 100 workers delays wages over 60 days, a fine of AED 5,000 per worker whose wage is delayed will be levied with a maximum fine of AED 50,000 in cases of multiple workers’ delayed wages.
On companies employing less than 100 workers
If a company employing less than 100 workers fails to pay the salary within 60 days from due date, penalties will include:
- work permits ban
- fines
- referral to court.
If the company commits such violations more than once in one year, MoHRE will apply penalties stated for companies that employ over 100 workers.
Laws and Regulations [11]
https://www.mohre.gov.ae/ar/laws-and-regulations.aspx
