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UAE ministry reiterates overtime rules, travel time not part of work hours

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) reiterated overtime rules and the exclusion of regular travel time in working hours. MoHRE announced that employers could request overtime duty from employees, provided that the extra hours do not exceed two hours per day. Necessary overtime work beyond two hours is allowed if it is for the purpose of preventing "serious loss or incident". The ministry also specified that commuting time to and from the workplace is excluded from the working hours, except in some cases and within controls in the implementing regulations. According to MoHRE, travel time between a worker’s home and worksite can only be counted as part of work hours in three cases: If the worker spends travel time during bad weather in response to warnings of the National Center of Meteorology; If the worker spends travel time in a company transport during a traffic accident or emergency vehicle breakdown; If both worker and employer agree in the employment contract that travel time will be part of work hours. The regular working hours are eight hours per day and 48 hours per week and shall not exceed five consecutive hours without a one-hour break. It shall also be specified in the employment contract for non-full-time work patterns. In all cases, the total number of working hours must not exceed 144 hours every three weeks. RZSP/ Expat Media
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