“Ministry of Human resources and Emiratization confirms 5 midday work ban violations”

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation confirmed five reports of the midday break violation out of the 42 reports it received this year concerning working under sunlight in open areas between June 15 and September 15.

Maher Al Obed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation for Inspection Affairs, said that during the implementation of the "Midday work ban" decision the ministry implemented an integrated plan in two ways. The first is to strengthen the partnership with the private sector by allowing community members to report any violations by reaching out to the Ministry's call centers on 80060 or register the reports in the Customer Happiness Centers of the Ministry in different regions of the country, as well as using Taqyeem service operators to monitor the establishments that violate the decision and inform the Ministry of them.  

He pointed out that "the other way is educating employers, workers and society in general about the importance of the decision and its role in maintaining the health and safety of workers through the implementation of the instructional visits to work sites in different regions of the UAE and holding workshops and lectures including  videos about how to implement the decision and its importance. Thousands of awareness pamphlets and brochures in several languages including Arabic, English and Urdu were distributed in parallel with the implementation of initiatives to raise awareness in cooperation with the ministry's partners."

He explained that during the implementation period, the Ministry received 42 reports, where its inspection teams visited the designated sites immediately to verify them, prepare reports and document them with photographs to be submitted to a competent committee in the ministry. The ministry confirmed only five violations after verifying that the concerned establishments have committed explicit violations of the decision that require the application of punitive measures against them.

Al Obed added that "the ministry and its inspection teams applied the highest professional standards and commitment to neutrality and transparency with the received reports as well as on monitoring compliance of establishment owners with the decision and documentation of violations in the smart inspection system."

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation punishes establishments with proven violation of the deciion by a fine of AED 5,000 for each worker and a maximum of AED 50,000 in case of multiple workers involved in violation of the decision, in addition to freezing the file of the offending establishment or reducing its classification in the establishment classification system approved by the Ministry, based on the severity of the violation committed.

Al Obed elaborated "midday work ban decision results proved the effective partnership with the private sector and the importance of community in monitoring its application as well as the positive impact of the awareness procedures and initiatives and guidance applied by the ministry."

He praised the collaboration of the community and the private sector with the decision, especially considering the initiatives under which water and juices were distributed to labor in the workplaces and during breaks. "