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19 March 2024

UAE Labour Law: No late work hours...

Article 65, mentions the maximum number of ordinary working hours for adult workers shall be eight hours per day, or forty eight hours per week. (AP)

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

Youth and women employees may not be asked to work late hours and employers are expected to honour the set timings.

According to Article 23 of the UAE labour Law, youth may not be engaged at night in industrial enterprises. The word ‘night’ here means a period of 12 consecutive hours at least including the period from 8pm until 6am.

Article 25 further states that the maximum effective working hours for youth shall be six hours per day, with one or more intervals for rest, meals or prayer, the total of which is at least one hour.

Such interval/s shall be set in a manner that the youth does not work more than four consecutive hours. Besides this, the youth may not be kept in the work location for more than seven consecutive hours.

The law also sets work timings for women. Article 27 clarifies that women may not be employed at night. The word ‘night’ here refers to a period of 11 consecutive hours at least including the period from 10pm until 7am.

However, there are certain exceptions here. Women can be employed during the said hours at night when work in the firm ceases by a force majeure, the worker is employed in an administrative and technical position or works in health services and other jobs determined by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

For the rest of the workforce, Article 65, mentions the maximum number of ordinary working hours for adult workers shall be eight hours per day, or forty eight hours per week.

The number of hours may be increased to nine hours per day for people employed in trade, hotels, cafeterias, security and other jobs in consultation with the Ministry of Labour.

Furthermore, the daily number of working hours may be reduced for strenuous or harmful works after a decision from the authorities.

The Law states that any hours worked in excess of the ‘normal hours’ (which vary depending on whether the employee normally works five or six days per week) shall be treated as overtime.

Many firms also operate on shifts if they have to work long hours or round the clock. In such cases the employees can work at odd hours but the number of work hours should be followed.