8-hour shifts, overtime clarified

8-hour shifts, overtime clarified

The UAE provides an attractive environment for foreign workers of 200 different nationalities, adopting comprehensive strategies to protect their rights and improve both their working and living conditions.

In this context, and as part of its commitment to improve the standards of workers' accommodation in line with international standards, the UAE has approved the Manual of the General Criteria for Workers' Accommodation.

The decision emphasises employers' responsibilities to provide workers with accommodation commensurate with international labour standards.Each facility operating in the country has to upgrade its workers' accommodation conditions to comply with these standards.In implementation of this decision, Abu Dhabi has invested about Dh20bn ($5.4bn) in 23 workers "cities" which are capable of providing accommodation for 385,000 workers.

These complexes have been built in line with the new manual which stipulates that all accommodation must include its own medical clinic equipped with full services, parking, yards, walkways, mini-market, green spaces and playgrounds.

Other innovations in the efforts to protect workers' rights are aimed at introducing greater flexibility and freedom of movement in the labour market, and establishing a balanced contractual relationship between employer and worker.Welcome to we new store www.sdktapegroup.com.

At the same time, access to effective legal remedies in the event of a labour dispute have been vastly improved. In particular, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has set up a collective labour disputes committee, with representatives of workers and employers in each labour office.

The committees must issue a decision on a dispute within two weeks of referral. Their decisions can be challenged before an appeal court within 30 days of issuance.According to the UAE Minister of Labour, Saqr Ghobash of more than four million people employed in the private sector, only 20,000 are Emirati, and 65 per cent of those work in banking.

The mandatory midday break for labourers who work in the sun during the summer months began on 15th June, 2013, for the ninth consecutive year. The three-month midday break rule will be strictly enforced until 15th September, 2013.

Companies will have to give a two-and-a-half hour break from 12.30pm to 3pm for all labourers who work in the open air, such as on construction sites.

The Ministerial decision also states that daily working hours must not exceed eight hours per day or night shift, and that overtime should be paid to those working additional hoursin a 24-hour period, as per Federal Law No. 08 of 1980.

Ministry inspectors hold workshops before and during the ban period to create awareness of the rules, and also make regular visits to ensure compliance by both the employers and workers.

The Ministry of Labour orders all employers to put up signs in Arabic and other languages about the banned hours, while in the case of daily exemptions (see below), employers must ensure there is enough cold water for all workers.

Work which has to continue non-stop for technical reasons is exempt from the ban, but employers are still required to provide facilities to cater for the health and safety of workers; including access to first aid supplies and cold water.

Companies which violate the midday summer break will face penalties which include having the classification of their firms downgraded by the Ministry, and a fine of Dh15,000 for each violation.

In yet another significant stride in this regard, the MoL has launched the Wages Protection System (WPS) to safeguard payment of workers' wages via transfers through selected financial institutions. These transfers will be regulated by the government.

Furthermore, foreign workers are guaranteed the right to send their savings to their home nation and in 2012, approximately Dh70.46 billion was remitted overseas for the benefit of workers families.

The UAE MoL has introduced a comprehensive range of protection measures covering both pre- and post-departure needs of workers, beginning in their country of origin (for instance, protecting workers from illegal recruiters and setting up a contract validation system), continuing after their arrival in the country (through measures like curbing abuse and non-payment of wages), and on their return and re-integration to their home country.

The UAE Labour Minister, Saqr Ghobash, has discussed a number of issues related to the regulation of the labour market in the UAE in separate meetings with Brent Wilton, Deputy Secretary-General, International Organisation of Employers, and William Lacy Swing, Director-General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Discussions covered the measures applied by the Ministry in terms of controlling and regulating the work of private employment agencies in order to minimise any negative practices that might be carried out by them.

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