UAE Sounds Alarms About Working Overtime During Ramadan

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has outlined the regulations for overtime work during Ramadan in accordance with Labor Relations Law in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

MoHRE tweeted that the overtime policy in the holy month is the same as the rest of the year. According to the regulations, an employer is only allowed to request two hours of overtime each day, for which the employee will be compensated as required by law.

MoHRE further clarified that any overtime done to avert a major loss, a serious accident, or to reduce the severity of an accident is exempt from the maximum overtime hour limit. However, the Ministry stated that in all situations, working hours must not exceed 144 in three weeks.

In January, MoHRE released guidelines outlining daily and weekly working hours, including break regulations, which are as follows:

• Employees must work eight hours per day or 48 hours per week.
• Commuting time to/from the workplace is not counted in these working hours unless mentioned otherwise in the implementing regulations.
• Non-fulltime workers will have their working hours specified in their employment contract.
• Employees are entitled to a minimum one-hour break if they work five consecutive hours or more.