Working 11 hours daily

Working 11 hours daily

A reader from Dubai asks: I have been working for a company for almost five months. Is it true that we have the right to resign after six months if the company is not good? And, do I need to pay their expenses for my visa? We work for 11 hours a day, and our salaries were paid 15 days late, but now we are being paid more than 30 days late.

As per the labour law, the questioner does not have the right to resign from his job after a period of six months for reasons that the company is not good or not in a stable situation, otherwise he will be in breach of the labour law, which will result in a ban. However, the questioner can file a complaint against the company before the Ministry of Labour which will, in turn, initiate investigations, especially since, as mentioned the company is in breach of the labour law as the Ministry of Labour has, for a long time, demanded that companies deposit employees' salaries in their banks on a monthly basis. In addition, I would like to confirm the Ministry of Labour is intending to find a way to oblige those companies to commit to such instructions.

As for employees having to work for 11 hours a day, I would like to refer here to Article No. 67 of the labour law which states that: Where the work circumstances require a worker to work more than the normal number of hours, any period worked in excess shall be treated as overtime, for which the worker shall receive the wage stipulated for his normal working hours, plus a supplement of at least 25 per cent of that wage.

At this point, I would like to refer to the normal working hours as per Article No. 65 of the Labour Law: The maximum normal working hours for adult workers shall be eight hours a day or 48 hours a week. They may be increased to nine hours a day in commercial establishments, hotels, cafeterias, security services and such other businesses as may be added by resolution of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

Daily working hours may be reduced by resolution of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, in the case of arduous or hazardous work. During Ramadan working hours are reduced. The periods spent by a worker travelling between his home and workplace shall not be included in his working hours.