Midday break rule ends today in UAE

Dubai - Inspectional teams were in the field until the last minute of the annual rule to monitor the level of compliance by firms in the country.

The UAE Ministry of Labour has announced that the midday break rule period, which started on June 15, prohibiting any outdoor labour work between 12.30pm and 3pm, will end today, September 15.
Inspectional teams were in the field until the last minute of the annual rule to monitor the level of compliance by firms in the country. The mandatory annual midday work break, which was implemented on the directives of Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, aims to ensure the well-being of labourers who work in the scorching heat during the summer months, from June 15 to September 15.
The implementation of the afternoon work ban decision, which has run for 11 consecutive years now, has set the daily working hours to an eight-hour maximum, alternated between day and night shifts, according to the provisions of Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 on the organisation of labour relations, 'additional work is compensated.'
The ministry thanked all government and private institutions for their support in protecting labourers' health and safety by providing free medical check-ups and self-protection courses, as well as the initiatives undertaken by members of the community each year in distributing cold water and juices to labourers while on duty.

• UAE