Workers' Committee in Dubai creates three teams to ensure adherence to Mid-day work bans

The ban will take effect between the hours of 12:30pm and 3:00pm from July 1 through to August 31 inclusive.

Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD) and the Head of the Permanent Labour Affairs Committee, said that the inspection teams will check the construction sites in the early afternoon to ensure that the Minister of Labour's decision reflecting the UAE's respect for the rights of labourers is applied.

He added that the inspection teams will carry out awareness campaigns to make sure that workers are aware of the Minister of Labor's decision. Companies that violate the ban will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Major General Al Marri pointed out that violations detected by the Committee in 2007 numbered 113 cases including 25 seizures in Deira and 88 seizures in Bur Dubai. By comparison, the number of violations detected last year totaled 55 business firms, including 3 in Deira and 52 in Bur Dubai.

He claimed that the decrease in the number of violations is a result of the positive response to the Minister of Labor's decision and the efforts of inspection teams. Since the ban was first introduced in 2005, the number of violations has decreased each year on an ongoing basis.

Abdullah bin Salloum, the Committee Vice President clarified that the awareness campaign will also include the dissemination of posters in construction sites. The material will be available in Arabic, English and Urdu and aims to increase awareness amongst works about the decision and offers tips to protect the workers from the mid-day sun during the hottest summer months.

He added that the inspection teams will also check the availability of cooling systems and sheds to protect workers from direct sunlight as well as other preventive measures to ensure healthy work conditions.