By Sidi Mohamed
DOHA: With temperatures and humidity on the rise, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi has warned companies of stricter punishment if they are found violating the rule related to working hours in open sites during summer.
“It is important that all companies comply with the standards to protect the health and safety of workers in the country,” QNA quoted the Minister as saying yesterday.
“Firms that continue to violate the law will face stricter punishment and we will announce their names publicly in case violations are repeated,” he added.
The ministry last month shut down 60 work sites for three days for violating the ministerial decision No. 16 of 2007 regulating summer working hours. The law prevents work in open areas from 11:30am to 3pm from June 15 to August 31. The penalty could be as severe as closing the violating facility for up to one month.
Praising the ministry’s decision to announce the names of erring companies, Mubarak Fresh, a member of Central Municipal Council (CMC), from Al Gharafa, said there is a need for more intensive inspections to catch erring companies.
“There is no problem with the law. However, more effective monitoring is required to ensure that companies comply with it,” Fresh told this daily yesterday.
He said it may not be possible for inspectors to reach all work sites. To address the problem, authorities can use drones to take pictures of the work sites during the hours when work is prohibited.
“Some countries are using drones to monitor work sites. Why can’t we experiment that?” he asked. He said the ministry should also launch a hotline to receive complaints from workers about companies not complying with the summer schedule.
He said some companies are forcing workers to work in the heat to meet contractual commitments and complete projects as planned.
“When they prepare their work plan, they calculate eight hours a day throughout the year, without considering the reduced working hours during Ramadan and the summer months,” Fresh added.
The Peninsula
