Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading international financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region has announced that DIFC Presidential Directive will end on July 31.

On 26 April 2020, DIFC declared DIFC Presidential Directive No 4. of 2020 which addressed the pressing need for firms based in the Centre to be able to access a number of emergency measures related to their workforce to ensure the stability and viability of DIFC firms during the height of the Pandemic.

The DIFC Presidential Directive enabled firms to take appropriate action to deal with the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on their business, during the Emergency Period commencing on 21 April 2020 and ending on 31 July 2020.

This enabled DIFC Employers to take the following emergency measures without the consent of their employees such as reduced working hours, leave with or without pay, reduce salary, restrict workplace access and impose remote working.

Following consultation with government partners and the legal community, DIFC confirms that the Presidential Directive will not be extended beyond the Emergency Period specified in the Directive, which ends on July 31.

Offices and retail outlets across the Centre are now fully open for business and the health and safety of the DIFC community and our visitors remains our utmost priority. The Centre continues to undertake strict pre-cautionary measures following Dubai and UAE Government guidelines, a DIFC statement said. – TradeArabia News Service