UAE | Employment

Companies promise to adhere midday break

Companies that violated the midday break rule last year have promised to adhere to the decision, some out of consideration for workers and others to avoid penalties.

  • By Wafa Issa, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 19:15 July 2, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Workers at a construction site in Al Sufouh rest beneath scaffolding as the summer law mandating a midday break for outdoor workers came into effect on Sunday.
  • Image Credit: Megan Hirons/Gulf News

Dubai: Companies that violated the midday break rule last year have promised to adhere to the decision, some out of consideration for workers and others to avoid penalties.

Last year companies across the country had to pay about Dh7 million in fines. About 729 out of 3,000 companies inspected broke the rule and 14 of them broke the rule more than once, according to ministry statistics.

Two-shift system

Gulf News had obtained a list with the names of all violating companies in September 2006.

Eihab Edward, construction Director at Al Sha'afar Contracting Company, said that they have implemented a two-shift system during July and August to ensure a complete halt of work during the break.

"The company owner has decided to go ahead with the midday break even before the decision came from the ministry this year as it proved to be beneficial to not only the workers but also for us as worker productivity increased after they took a break," said Edward.

Mohammad Sulaiman, General Manager of Bin Arab contracting and Nasco, said that they will adhere to the decision as they have no option.

"Although we feel that this break only extends the day of the worker as we cannot arrange appropriate resting places onsite, we have instructed our workers to adhere to the decision," said Sulaiman. "Last year we were fined as our workers decided not to take the break and continued their work."

Bino S.S., project engineer at Al Madar MGM Construction Company, said that they are strictly following the midday break rule this year as per the ministry's directives.

"We followed the decision even last year but were fined as we got a mobile crane to the site and the workers, who were resting at the site came out to oversee the parking of the crane," he said.

This year a circular was passed to inform people in charge at their sites to halt all work during the specified timings.

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