To ease the burden of working long hours for fasting people during the holy month of Ramadan, Arab countries are temporarily changing some labor law regulations to reduce the number of daily working hours compared to the rest of the year.
In this report, we review through a quick tour of a number of Arab countries, how were the daily working hours dealt with during the holy month?
Jordan.. 5 hours in government departments
The Council of Ministers decided to determine the official working hours during the blessed month of Ramadan, from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon, i.e. 5 working hours a day, but the Ministry of Labor later confirmed that this decision includes workers in ministries, official departments and public bodies, and that it does not include the private sector, as it left that matter according to the internal regulations of each facility.
Egypt.. 5 hours for the government sector
The Unified Labor Law No. 12 of 2002 did not specify the number of working hours for the private sector in Ramadan, leaving the decision to the owners of private sector establishments and establishments, but the law generally indicated that they should not work more than 8 hours a day, i.e. 48 hours 6 days a week.
For the government sector, the determination of working hours varies according to each entity, and the working hours are often limited to 5 hours, with a difference in the start and end dates of the working hours according to each entity.
Qatar.. 5 hours
The Cabinet announced the reduction of working hours during the month of Ramadan for employees of civil government agencies to 5 hours per day, starting from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon. Provided that work requirements are met, the employee may be allowed to be late in attendance up to a maximum of ten in the morning, provided that the official working hours (5 hours) are completed.
Saudi Arabia.. 6 hours
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development stated that the official working hours of government agencies in the month of Ramadan were set at only 5 hours, starting at ten in the morning and ending at three in the afternoon.
Morocco.. 6 hours
The Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform issued the memorandum on determining the working hours of the Ramadan in public administrations (Ramadan 1444/2023), which are from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon.
Tunisia.. 6.5 hours and Friday is an hour less
The Presidency of the Government announced in a statement the timing of work in public administrations and government institutions of an administrative nature as follows, from Monday to Thursday from eight in the morning to two thirty in the afternoon, provided that work is on Friday from eight in the morning to one thirty in the afternoon.
Reducing working hours in Ramadan does not detract from the salaries of employees in the government and private sectors (Shutterstock)
Algeria.. 7 hours
The General Directorate of Public Service announced the number of working hours in the month of Ramadan, which amounts to 7 hours, as it set it from half past eight in the morning to half past three in the evening, from Sunday to Thursday, and from seven in the morning to the second in the southern states (governorates).
Iraq.. 7 hours
The Council of Ministers decided to reduce the official working hours by one hour in all government institutions and departments, leaving the determination of the beginning and end of working hours to the official authorities.
U.A.E.. 8 hours
According to the latest update of the official portal, the number of working hours during the Ramadan decreases by two hours per day, and the government announced that working hours on Fridays will be a mixed system, where remote work will be allowed by 70% for government employees and 30% in person.