Dubai: Working hours in Ramadan for all sectors will be reduced by two hours, the Ministry of Labour has announced.
The official working hours have been to reduced six hours a day or 36 hours a week instead of the normal eight hours a day or 48 hours a week, a Ministry statement said.
The announcement comes in line with article 65 of the Labour Law, which stipulates the working hours and conditions.
The reduced timings will be applicable for all workers irrespective of their religion or whether a person is fasting or not. It is also applicable for those who are working indoors as well as outdoors.
According to a ministry statement, the employees can chose to work overtime for a maximum of two hours and the employers cannot force workers to work more than two hours extra.
In case if an employee chooses to work overtime he has to be paid 25 per cent of his basic salary per day for day time and 50 per cent for night time duty.
The ministry has urged employers to follow the instructions and implement the law in letter and spirit, adding that failure to do so would attract hefty fines.
In the case of labourers, the regulation of noon break continues, in addition to Ramadan regulations, and any employer who forces labourers to work between noon and 3pm will be fined Dh15,000 per labourer.
“The law takes into consideration the hardship a fasting person has to go through while at work and employers should also respect their condition,” said an official.
However, employers have the right to organise the work shifts according to their convenience and they should inform about the change in timings in advance to all their employees.
In case of violations, workers are urged to complain to the Ministry through various mediums like online, call centre (800665) or at its customer service centres.
“We will be intensifying the inspections during Ramadan, and apart from random checks we take every complaints seriously and we go and verify physically every case,” added the official.
