The UAE Ministry of Labour has issued an annual resolution setting out working restrictions during the summer period, which starts on June 15 and will remain effective for three months until September 15.

This year's resolution is in largely the same form as those of previous years, but the key difference is that employees will benefit from its protection for around one month longer.

The restriction states that employees working in sunny areas and open spaces may not work between 12:30 pm and 3 pm; employers must provide a shady place for employees to rest during this period and if Employers alter the shift patterns of their workers to accommodate the summertime working restrictions that employee's shift, whether in the morning or the evening, may not exceed 8 hours.

In the event that an employee works for more than 8 hours during any 24 hour period, he will be entitled to overtime pay in respect of those extra hours and employers must display, in a visible area of the work place, a table showing daily working hours in accordance with the resolution.

The table must be in Arabic as well as a language that the employees can understand.

The resolution also emphasises the requirement for employers to provide employees with proper protective gear appropriate for the work which they are carrying out.

Limited exemptions apply to the restriction limiting work in sunny places and open spaces between 12:30 pm and 3 pm, as well as the maximum limit of 8 working hours per day.

These exemptions apply to works which, for technical reasons, need to be carried out in an uninterrupted manner.

A list of such works is to be published by the director general of the Ministry of Labour but, as yet, no such list has been issued for 2010.

The Ministry of Labour has set a penalty of Dh10,000 ($2,722) for a first breach of the resolution, and a fine of Dh20,000 will be levied for the second breach.

Further, the establishment will be downgraded to category C and be restricted from obtaining employee work permits for a further 6 month period.

For a third breach, the fine is increased to Dh30,000, and the period for which the establishment is downgraded to category C and prevented from obtaining new employee work permits is extended to at least one year.

Being downgraded to a category C will result, amongst other things, in the establishment concerned incurring higher fees when making any applications to the Ministry of Labour, as well as having to provide bank guarantees for a higher sum when applying for new employee work permits. – TradeArabia News Service