Four UAE firms violated midday break law this summer
Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation received 40 reports of violations during three months from mid-June to mid-September
Abu Dhabi: The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said four firms had violated the midday break law that prohibits work from 12.30pm up to 3pm in the tough summer period from mid-June to mid-September.
Maher Al Obed, Assistant Undersecretary for Inspectional Affairs, said that out of 40 reported breaches, only four violations were registered.
The law, which was introduced 14 years ago, has been well-received by the companies, as it gives workers a break during the peak hours when mercury is high.
Violators are fined Dh5,000 per worker found working during the banned hours, otherwise they will be referred to the minister’s office which may administer penalties that include temporally suspending the company’s business activities and reversing its classification.
Al Obed said the ministry has followed new regulatory measures during the period of implementation of the decision.
These measures were adopted to strengthen partnerships with the private sector by relying on the operators of the assessment service to monitor any violation of the decision and to inform the ministry. The ministry’s communication centre then reports the irregularities monitored by them in parallel with the inspection campaigns organised by the ministry to track the communications and to ascertain the extent of commitment of the companies to the decision.
He added that “the ministry received 40 reports of violations of the resolution during the period of application, including 22 through the call centre and 14 others by the operators” of the evaluation “and 4 other reports received to the centres of the customer service of the ministry.”
“Relevant inspection teams in the ministry verify these reports and submit their reports to the concerned committee, which approved 4 of them after it found out that the businesses concerned committed explicit violations of the resolution which required the application of punitive measures against them,” the undersecretary said.
“Statistics show stronger commitment to laws and regulations imposed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation,” he added. “The importance of the decision aims to protect workers’ health and safety during extreme conditions such as working in high temperatures in the summer season.”
The law demands that companies provide shaded areas for the workers to rest during their break period and to completely stop work. The decision also directs the owners to adapt to eight daily working hours and reimburse labourers’ overtime wages according to the provisions of Federal Law No 8 of 1980.
There are some exceptional cases that require continuation of work during 12.30pm to 3pm for technical reasons, and employers are obliged to provide cold drinking water, safety tools, salts, lemons, fresh salads and all necessities that have been approved for use by health authorities.
During the tough summer month of June and July, the ministry’s inspectors distributed posters and brochures at the work sites to emphasise awareness amongst the workers besides the distribution of refreshments.