The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Labor Law (Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021) together with UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 (the UAE Labor Law) apply to all companies and employees in the private sector in the UAE, except for those working within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
Under the UAE Labor Law, work hours must generally not exceed eight hours per day or 48 hours per week, over a six-day workweek. However, work hours can be increased to a maximum of 10 hours per day—the additional two hours being overtime. Overtime must not exceed two hours per day, unless the work is necessary to prevent serious loss or accident, or to eliminate or mitigate its effects.
During the holy month of Ramadan, the work hours of employees are reduced by two hours per day. The reduction in work hours applies to all employees in the private sector, excluding the DIFC and ADGM, irrespective of whether the employees are Muslim or fasting. Therefore, the maximum work hours for an employee working in the UAE during Ramadan are six hours per day or 36 hours per week (based upon a six-day working week) or 30 hours per week (based upon a five-day working week). This means that overtime charges during Ramadan should apply after the seventh hour (if there is a one-hour break for lunch), as the daily work hours of eight hours are reduced to six hours per day.
Under the UAE Labor Law, any employee working in excess of the normal work hours—or...
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