The UAE Ministry of Labour has found 30 firms violating the midday break law that prohibits work from 12:30 pm until 15:00 pm in the tough summer period of mid-June till July 31, 2015.
Over 27,000 midday break field inspections took place between mid-June till end of July 2015, the ministry said.
Maher Al Obed, Assistant Undersecretary for Inspectional Affairs, said that the ministry carried out 34,411 field visits, of which 27,242 were for inspection purposes and remaining 7,169 for guidance and education.
The law, which was introduced 11 years ago, has been well received by the companies, giving break to workers during the peak hours when mercury is high.
Violators are fined Dh5,000 ($1,361) per worker found working during the banned hours, not exceeding Dh50,000 ($13,613), otherwise they will be referred to the minister's office for penalty which may include temporally suspending the company's business activities and reversing its classification.
The ministry found 13 companies violating the law in Al Ain, five each in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, and four in Dubai. There was one violation each in Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain, while no violation was reported in Sharjah.
"Statistics show stronger commitment to laws and regulations imposed by the Ministry of Labour," the undersecretary said.
"The importance of the decision aims to protect workers' health and safety during extreme conditions such as working in high temperatures in the summer season," he said.
The law calls for companies to provide shaded areas for the workers to rest during their break period and to completely stop work. The decision also refers the owners to adapt to eight daily working hours and reimburse labourers' overtime wages according to the provisions of Federal Law No. 8 of 1980.
There are some exceptional cases that require continuation of work during 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm for technical reasons, and employers are obliged to provide cold drinking water, safety tools, salts, lemon, fresh salads and all necessities that have been approved for use by health authorities.
During the tough summer month of June and July, the ministry's inspectors distributed posters and brochures at the work sites to emphasize awareness amongst the labourers besides distributing refreshments.
