Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Labour's regulation reducing daily work timings by two hours in Ramadan also applies to free zone companies as per the UAE labour law, a senior ministry official said in the capital Monday.
This means that workers must either benefit from a work day shorter by two hours, or companies will have to pay employees overtime as per MoL guidelines, Maher Al Obaid, assistant undersecretary for inspection affairs, told Gulf News.
"The regulation applies to all workers, regardless of religion, and also extends to employees working in the free zone. However, some workers are willing to maintain regular hours even during Ramadan, and for this, they need to be compensated with overtime pay," Al Obaid said.
He was responding to concerns raised by workers across the UAE, many of whom have reported to Gulf News that they have been instructed to maintain regular working hours during the fasting month without any assurance of overtime pay.
Some individuals reported firms in the free zone violating the MoL rules, and employees in airline companies said staff had been asked to maintain regular hours with many not receiving overtime pay for their efforts. Various shop attendants also complained about employers requiring them to work more than nine hours a day.
"In Ramadan, companies can only ask workers to come in for two hours extra, making the workday no longer than nine hours," Al Obaid said.
He added that firms have to document the payment of overtime either by recording the extra pay on their payrolls or getting employees to sign a receipt form for overtime pay.
Guidance department
The senior MoL official explained that workers, meanwhile, had the right to file an official complaint against their companies if they felt their rights under UAE labour law were being violated.
"If an employee does not want his identity to be revealed, he or she can call up the MoL hotline and register what is known as a secret complaint. The individual may be asked to visit the guidance department at the MoL to lodge the complaint. Either way, the name of the complainant will not be revealed to employers," Al Obaid said.
For the benefit of MoL inspectors, a single complainant is required to provide personal details that are not revealed to employers, including labour card number, personal number on the labour card, year of birth, nationality and personal mobile number. Following this, MoL inspectors will check the worker's salary payment at the end of August to ensure he has received overtime pay for maintaining regular hours during Ramadan, the inspection affairs undersecretary said.
When 10 or more people register a complaint against a company, however, personal details will be revealed to employers, and an inspection team will be deployed by the MoL to investigate, Al Obaid added.
Lodging a complaint
- To register a complaint, call the Ministry of Labour (MoL) at 800665 between 9am and 3pm or between 9pm and 12pm.
- Choosing any of the options on the MoL hotline directs callers to a customer service agent.
- Otherwise, visit the MoL guidance department and provide your labour card number, personal number on the labour card, year of birth, nationality and personal mobile number to lodge a secret complaint with the MoL. Identities are not revealed to employers and investigators will check if you have been paid for the extra hours worked at the end of the month.
- Group complaints of more than 10 people against a company require personal details to be revealed and an MoL inspection will be deployed to investigate.
— Source: Ministry of Labour
