Understanding your employee rights is a very important part of living and working in the UAE. Below is the labour law, as published by the UAE Ministry of Labour with regards to worker’s hours.

What is the maximum amount of working hours?

The maximum number of ordinary working hours for adult workers shall be eight hours per day, or forty eight hours per week.

The number of hours may be increased to nine hours per day for people employed in trade, hotels, cafeterias, security and other jobs whose addition may be made by virtue of a decision from the Minister of Labour.

Furthermore, the daily number of working hours may be reduced for strenuous or harmful works and such by virtue of a decision from the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs .

The ordinary working hours shall be reduced by two hours during Ramadan.

Is the commute to work included in working hours?

The commutation periods spent by the worker from the place of residence to the work site thereof shall not be calculated within the working hours.

What are the rules regarding break time?

The daily working hours shall be regulated so that the worker does not work more than five consecutive hours without intervals for rest, meals and prayer, whose total period shall not be less than one hour. Such intervals shall not be included in the working hours.

As for the factories and workshops where work is carried out in successive shifts around the clock, or for works that require uninterrupted work for technical and economic reasons, the Minister shall regulate the method whereby workers are granted the periods of rest, meals and prayer and such by virtue of a decision issued thereby.

What if your employer makes you work longer hours?

Should the work circumstances require the carrying out by the worker of a work for more than the ordinary working hours, the additional period shall be deemed an overtime, for which the worker shall be paid a wage equivalent to the ordinary hourly wage with an addition of at least 25 per cent of the said wage.

...[ Continue to next page ]

Share This Post