“Working hours shall not exceed five consecutive hours, without a minimum one-hour break,” according to the UAE Labour Law.
Under the law, work breaks must not be less than one hour. The breaks are also excluded from the working hours. Regular working hours are eight hours per day, or 48 hours per week.
On Thursday, MoHRE announced that employers can ask employees to work overtime as long as the overtime period does not exceed two hours per day.
The only exception is if the overtime is necessary in emergencies or important work that prevents “any loss or incidents”
With over time work, the total number of working hours must not exceed 144 hours every three weeks. Overtime pay is calculated based on the basic salary of the worker, plus 25 percent, which could increase to 50 percent if overtime is done between 10pm and 4am. Employees who work on shifts are excluded from claiming overtime pay if their regular work falls during these hours.
If an employee is required to work on his or her day off, the employee will be entitled to a substitute rest day or pay equal to basic daily salary plus 50 percent of that pay.
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