The Working Hours In Accordance With the UAE Federal Law

The maximum daily is eight hours and keystrokes per hour per week in some circumstances it can be 9 hours. The change can be made by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, As states in Article 65: “The maximum normal for adult workers shall be eight hours in the day, 48 hours in the 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 Labor and Social Affairs.

The daily working hours may be reduced by resolution of the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, in the case of arduous or health-hazardous work. Two during the month of Ramadan shall reduce the normal working hours. The periods spent by a worker in traveling between his home and place of work shall not be included in his working hours”.

Q No. (2): what is the regulations of the working hours?

The employee shall not work for more than five successive hours, there should be a break for rest, praying and that break shall not exceed one hour. However there is an exception mentioned in the Article No. 66 for the night shift employees which states that: ” The daily working hours shall be so regulated that no worker shall work for more than five successive hours without breaks – for rest, meals and prayer- amounting in aggregate to not less than one hour. Such breaks shall not be included as part of the working hours

However, in factories and workshops where work is organised in the form of successive day and night shifts, and in processes where work has to continue uninterrupted for technical and economic reasons, the manner in which breaks for rest, meals and prayer are to be granted shall be specified in a resolution by the Minister”

Q No. (3) Can the daily working hours be amended?

Yes the working hours can be amended as per the work needs and the extra hours shall be treated as “overtime” and it will be paid by the employer to the employees in accordance with the percentage mentioned in the Article No. 67 which states: “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”.

Q No. (4) what is the overtime and does it make a difference if it was at day or night?

The Overtime is the extra hours that the employee spends at the establishment of his work after exceeding his daily working hours.

If the employee stayed after his working hours between 9:00 P:M to 4:00 A.M. he shall be entitled to percentage mentioned in Article No. 68 which states: “Where the work circumstances require a worker to work overtime between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. he shall be entitled in respect of such overtime to the wage stipulated for his normal working hours, plus a supplement of at least 50 per cent of that wage”.

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