Breach of summer work ban not to be tolerated

Manama

The employers and companies are advised to plan their working hours beforehand as violation of summer work ban will not be tolerated, said Undersecretary of Ministry of Labour Subah Al Dossary in an exclusive interview to DT News at his office yesterday.

He said the summer work ban had been very productive and fruitful. “Success rate of last year’s summer work ban was 98.06 per cent,” he said, “Last year, we inspected 19,597 places and found 380 violations, with 911 employees working during the ban hours.”

The ban is enforced in July and August from 12 noon to 4pm. During this period, no one is allowed to work in the sun. In case of any violation, the employer or the company is fined BD300 to BD500. 

Workers of construction companies are allowed for five minutes to go get concrete materials from an open area if needed.

Responding to why June is exempted from the list of ban months, he said the month is not too hot to be in the list and that they haven’t receive any complaints during this month.

He said fishermen are exempted from the ban as the weather in sea area is quite different. “Fishermen are completely safe and we  have not received  any complaints from them,” he said.

He said they are more worried about the construction workers working on the fifth or sixth stories of buildings than fishermen in the seas. Dossary said they would visit random houses and enquire to the house owners if they have seen any labourer or housemaid working in the open area during the ban hours.    

He said the Labour Minister and other important people of the ministry including himself, would make surprise visits. 

However, he revealed no violations were found in the surprise visits last year. The inspectors alone found the violations, he said.

During Ramadan, the employers were asked to provide food to the non-Muslims inside their building as usual, Dossary stated. 

He said there are 40 inspectors to check violations, but eight of them are fully involved in all sorts of works including surveys and looking after the orders.

Responding whether the inspections visits are made on somebody’s complaints, he said the inspectors were authorized to make independent visits and they did so with planning. “However, if anybody calls us or if something turns up in the newspaper, we follow the case,” he said.

He said the Ministry of Health had been very helpful in conducting awareness programmes in the form of lectures and seminars.