According to Qaseem Jameel, Deputy Director of the Inspection Department at the MoL, “If an employee works on official holidays like Eid Al Adha and the day payment is Dh100, the firm should pay the worker Dh150, in addition to the overtime,” added Jameel.

Moreover, workers have the right to take compensatory off in lieu of extra work on official holidays, he said, adding that the same rule applied to all the expatriates living in the country as there is no discrimation on religious grounds.

“If the employer or the sponsor doesn’t give a non-Muslim worker his/her dues according to the law, the MoL will impose punishments because the law doesn’t discriminate between Muslims and non-Muslims,” explained Jameel.

For companies that do not comply with the law regarding calculation of overtime and remuneration for working official holidays, Jameel pointed out that workers should inform the  MoL Inspection Department and action will be initiated accordingly.