312 firms found violating UAE summer midday break rules
Ministry of Labour says that offenders fined AED15, 000 per violation and classification downgraded
RELATED ARTICLES: 64,944 firms comply with midday ban | UAE labour ministry fines 10 firms for violations | Dubai contractors abiding by midday break rule Hundreds of firms across the UAE have been fined for flouting the summer midday break rules, and making their labourers operate during the hottest part of the day, officials at the Ministry of Labour have announced. The Ministry of Labour revealed that of the 80,571 companies inspected in 2013, at least 312 were caught breaking the law. Last year, 102 firms from 53,990 inspected were hit with penalties for flouting the rules. Offenders have been fined AED15, 000 ($4,083) for each violation and their classification has been downgraded by the ministry. Some of the violations discovered by the Ministry included employers not letting workers rest during midday break timings, failing to provide shaded areas for them to escape the heat and a general lack of safety measures to protect workers from dehydration and heatstroke, a report in 7Days said. Officials said that despite the violations found, progress was being made and that awareness was increasing. “Around 99% of companies were following the ministry’s midday break rules,” said Mubarak Saeed Al Daheri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour. “This indicates the increased awareness of both employers and workers about the dos and don’ts with regard to the three-month mandatory midday break for those working in the sun during the summer.” Five years ago, the midday break rule did not exist, but came into force after concerns were raised about the health and safety of workers operating in temperatures that exceeded 45°C in summer. Construction sites often see their onsite temperatures go well above that figure. This year, the midday break ran from June 15 to September 15, during which time firms had to allow workers to rest from 12:30PM to 3PM. “The inspection teams had to ensure that firms provided workers with shaded areas to rest in during the break as well as professional safety tools to protect labourers from work-related injuries, dehydration and other health risks such as sunstroke and heat exhaustion,” a labour ministry official told the newspaper. Al Daheri added that awareness campaigns had covered several sites and educated about 93,000 workers, site foremen and supervisors about the midday break rule.
