Termination of Employment in Qatar: A Guide for Employers and Employees

Employment in Qatar ends under the Labour Law promulgated by Law No. 14 of 2004 as amended — most significantly, for termination, by Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020, which replaced the probation and notice provisions. How a contract ends determines the notice owed, whether end-of-service gratuity is payable, and in some cases whether the worker may take up new work in the State.

Termination during probation

Article 39 permits the contract to place the worker on probation for a period agreed by the parties, not exceeding six months from the date work begins. A worker may not be placed on probation more than once with the same employer.

The employer may terminate during probation where the worker proves unfit to perform the work, provided it notifies the worker at least one month before the termination date. The worker may also terminate during probation. A worker moving to another employer must give the current employer at least one month's written notice, and the new employer compensates the former employer for the value of the air ticket and recruitment fees, if any, capped at two months of the worker's basic wage. A worker who intends to terminate and leave the country gives notice as agreed, but that notice may not exceed two months.

Where either party terminates without observing the notice periods set out in the article, it must pay the other compensation equal to the worker's basic wage for the notice period or the part remaining. In all cases, a migrant worker who leaves the country without complying with the article may not be granted a work permit for one year from the date of departure.

Notice after probation

Article 49, as replaced in 2020, allows either party — after probation ends, or where the contract provides for no probation — to terminate without giving reasons, subject to written notice to the other party: one month during the first and second year of employment, and two months after the second year. Termination without observing those periods obliges the terminating party to pay compensation equal to the worker's basic wage for the notice period or the part remaining.

When an employee may leave and keep gratuity

Article 51 preserves the worker's full entitlement to end-of-service gratuity where the contract is terminated in any of the following cases:

• the employer breaches its obligations under the contract or under the Labour Law;
• a physical assault or an act contrary to public morals is committed against the worker, or a member of the worker's family, by the employer or the responsible manager;
• the employer or its representative deceived the worker at the time of contracting as to the conditions of work;
• a serious danger threatens the worker's safety or health, the employer knowing of it and failing to remove it;
• a final decision of one of the labour dispute settlement committees is issued in the worker's favour.

When an employer may dismiss without notice or gratuity

Article 61 sets out the cases in which dismissal without notice and without end-of-service gratuity is permitted. There are ten:

• assuming a false identity, claiming a nationality other than the worker's own, or submitting forged documents or certificates;
• committing a mistake causing gross material loss to the employer, provided the employer reports the incident to the Department within the period the article allows;
• violating more than once the written instructions on the safety of workers and the establishment despite written warning, where those instructions are written and posted in a conspicuous place;
• breaching more than once an essential obligation under the contract or the law despite written warning;
• disclosing the secrets of the establishment;
• being found during working hours in a state of evident intoxication or under the influence of a narcotic;
• assaulting the employer, the manager or a supervisor during the work or by reason of it;
• repeatedly assaulting colleagues at work despite written warning;
• absence without legitimate cause for more than seven consecutive days, or fifteen non-consecutive days in one year;
• conviction by a final judgment of an offence involving honour or honesty.

Article 62 constrains how that power is exercised: a worker may not be charged with a violation more than fifteen days after the employer becomes aware of it, except where the violation constitutes a criminal offence; a penalty may be imposed only for a violation directly connected with the work; no penalty may be imposed before the worker is informed of the accusation and investigated in writing; and no more than one penalty may be imposed for a single violation.

End-of-service gratuity

Article 54 requires the employer to pay an end-of-service gratuity to a worker who has completed one full year or more of service, in addition to any other amounts due on termination. The gratuity is agreed between the parties, provided it is not less than three weeks' wage for each year of service, and the worker is entitled to gratuity for fractions of a year in proportion to the period served. The worker's last basic wage is the basis on which it is calculated, and the employer may deduct amounts the worker owes it.

Service is treated as continuous where it ends other than in the Article 61 cases and the worker returns to work within two months of that termination. No gratuity is due where the dismissal falls within Article 61.

Restrictions that outlive the contract

Article 43 permits a non-competition condition where the nature of the work lets the employee know the employer's clients or the secrets of the establishment, and only so far as necessary in duration, place and type of work to protect the employer's lawful interests. Under the text in force since 2020 the maximum is one year, and the clause is void where the worker terminates on an Article 51 ground or the employer dismisses in breach of Article 61.

If the termination is disputed

The Labour Law provides for labour dispute settlement committees, formed at the Ministry and each presided over by a judge of the Court of First Instance selected by the Supreme Judicial Council, under Article 115 bis as introduced by Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020. Article 51 treats a final decision of such a committee in the worker's favour as a ground on which the worker may terminate while keeping the full gratuity.

Before terminating

• Confirm the Labour Law applies at all: Article 3 excludes several categories, including government employees and parts of the petroleum sector.
• Identify the correct notice period from the length of service, and put the notice in writing.
• Where the dismissal is disciplinary, test the ground against Article 61 and the procedure against Article 62 before acting.
• Calculate the gratuity on the last basic wage, allowing for fractions of a year.
• Record the reason and the process at the time; documentation decides most disputes.

Our employment and labour practice and dispute resolution team advise on termination decisions and on proceedings before the labour dispute committees.