gulfnews : Special team to enforce midday break

gulfnews : Special team to enforce midday break

Dubai: A work team has been dispatched by the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs in Dubai in cooperation with the local and federal departments in the emirates in order to enforce the midday break rules throughout the emirate.

In a meeting of the joint work team, Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners' Affairs (GDRFA) and Chairman of the Committee, said the inspection team is not meant only to detect the violations, but to guide and educate workers and companies to reduce violations and offer good services for workers in the midday break.

"The committee also discussed the schedule for inspection visits and the assignments in different work areas," he said.

Thursday the committee started to follow up with the enforcement of the ministerial resolution. The midday break rule will continue until September 15.

Distributed food

The teams also distributed 4,000 bags of food in cooperation with du telecom.

Field visits were conducted on the second day after the midday break rules were enforced.

The teams distributed booklets in several languages in order to raise awareness about the advantages of implementing the midday break.

Throughout the UAE, the inspectors of the Ministry of Labour and the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs in Dubai will conduct 60,000 inspections to sites and outdoor workplaces until September 15.

High compliance

A spokesman for the ministry said 99 per cent of the sites inspected in the first two days were compliant.

"The focus in this year will be creating rest places for outdoor workers during the midday break including the construction of umbrellas and other temporary facilities to protect workers from the head. Workers will not be allowed to take rest in streets and on green islands on the shoulders of roads," he said.